[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 46 (Monday, November 17, 2003)]
[Pages 1577-1582]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Greenville,
South Carolina

November 10, 2003

    Thank you all for coming. I'm honored to be here. Please be seated.
    Mr. Speaker, thank you for those warm remarks. South Carolina will 
always have a big part of my political career. I'm proud of all the 
people here. I want to thank you for your friendship. I remember 2000 
very well. Today we're laying the foundation for what will be a South 
Carolina and a national victory in 2004.

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    I'm proud to have your support. I'm loosening up. [Laughter] I'm 
getting ready. But politics will come in its own time. See, I've got a 
job to do. And when you go to your coffee shops and your farm 
implementation dealers or your places of worship, you tell them that 
George W. Bush is working hard for everybody, working hard to make sure 
this country remains strong and secure and prosperous and free.
    I appreciate my friend David Wilkins. He's the kind of friend that 
is with you when times are good and when times are bad. Mr. Speaker, I 
appreciate your leadership on this event--made an enormous difference 
tonight for this very successful fundraiser. I also want to thank your 
dear wife, Susan. You and I both married very well.
    Speaking about marrying well, I am sorry that Laura is not here, and 
I'm sure you are as well. [Laughter] You drew the short straw. 
[Laughter] She is a fabulous wife, a great mother, and she's doing a 
wonderful job as our country's First Lady.
    I'm honored that the Governor is here, Governor Mark Sanford. I 
appreciate his leadership and his friendship, and I also appreciate the 
great service that Jenny, the wonderful first lady of South Carolina, is 
providing to your State. Thank you for coming, Governor.
    I see you don't really care who you sit next to. [Laughter] You've 
chosen to sit next to the Senator from the great State of South 
Carolina, Senator Lindsey Graham, strong ally and good friend. I 
appreciate you coming.
    South Carolina has sent some fantastic people to Congress, good 
allies, good friends. Henry Brown and Joe Wilson and Gresham Barrett and 
Jim DeMint are people you can be proud of that represent you. I know 
this is DeMint's district. He's doing a fine job as a United States 
Congressman. But I'm proud of all of them that are representing your 
great State there in Washington.
    I know the Lieutenant Governor is with us today, Lieutenant Governor 
Bauer. I know the attorney general is with us, Henry McMaster. I know 
there's other State officials who are here. I want to thank you all for 
coming tonight.
    Some of my club members are with us. I'm a member of the ex-
Governors club, and so is Beasley, Campbell, and Edwards. I appreciate 
all three of those distinguished South Carolinian citizens for joining 
us tonight.
    Speaking about ex-members, Charlie Condon, who is a former attorney 
general of this great State, is with us, and a friend of mine as well. I 
appreciate Charlie coming.
    Most of all, I'm glad you're here. I want to thank you for working 
hard to get this event on. My friend Mercer Reynolds is the national 
finance chairman for Bush-Cheney '04. He's a fellow from Cincinnati, 
Ohio. He was educated up the road in Chapel Hill. He still came anyway. 
[Laughter]
    I appreciate Dr. Eddie Floyd and John Rainey and Barry Wynn, all of 
them personal friends. All of them have worked hard to make this a 
tremendously successful event.
    I want to thank the grassroots activists who are here, the people 
who are going to put up the signs and mail the mailers and get on the 
telephone to turn out the vote. I cannot win without your help. I want 
to thank you for what you've done in the past. I want to thank you for 
what you're fixing to do when we come down the pike next year. I 
appreciate Sarah Reese. I appreciate Todd Graham leading the pledge. And 
I want to thank the Governor's School Choir for joining us as well.
    In the last 2\1/2\ years, this Nation has acted decisively to 
confront great challenges. I came to this 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. My 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 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, and 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

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morale was beginning to suffer. So we increased the defense budgets to 
prepare for the threats of a new era, and today, no one can question the 
skill, 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 we had scandals in corporate America, 
and we marched to war for our own security and for the peace of the 
world, all of which affected the people's confidence. But I acted. We 
passed tough new laws to hold 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. I understand that 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, 
reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains to encourage investment. 
We're providing small businesses with incentives so they can hire new 
people.
    With all these actions, this administration has laid the foundation 
for greater prosperity and more jobs across America so every single 
person in this country has a chance to 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 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 
believe every child can learn to read and write and add and subtract. We 
are challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. We've increased 
Federal funding, but in return for additional Federal dollars, we expect 
results in every classroom so that not one single child is left behind.
    We created the Department of Homeland Security to better safeguard 
our ports and borders and better protect the American people. We passed 
trade promotion authority to open up new markets for South Carolina 
entrepreneurs and manufacturers and farmers. We passed budget agreements 
to help maintain spending discipline in Washington, DC.
    On issue after issue, this administration has acted on principle, 
has kept its word, and has made progress for the American people. And 
the Congress gets a lot of credit for the success we have had. I've 
enjoyed my work with the South Carolina delegation. I enjoy working with 
Speaker Denny Hastert, Majority Leader Bill Frist, two fine Americans.
    We're working hard to change the tone in Washington, DC. There's too 
much needless politics in the Nation's Capital. We're doing the people's 
business by focusing on results, and we're achieving good results for 
the people. Those are the kind of people I've attracted in my 
administration. I want people who are results-oriented people, can-do 
people, people from all walks of life. I have put together a fantastic 
administration for the American people. Our country has had no finer 
Vice President than Dick Cheney. Mother may have a second opinion. 
[Laughter]
    We've done a lot in 2\1/2\ years. We've 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 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 citizen has a chance to work and to succeed and to realize the 
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 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 holdouts and 
foreign terrorists are desperately trying to throw Iraq into chaos by 
attacking coalition forces and aid workers and innocent Iraqis. They 
know that the advance of freedom in Iraq would be a major defeat for the 
cause of terror. This collection of killers is trying to shake the will 
of the United States and the civilized world. America will not be 
intimidated.

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    We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them 
there so we do not have to face them in our own country. We're calling 
on other nations to help Iraq to build a free country, which will make 
us all 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.
    Yet, 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 this world. And when we 
see disease and starvation and hopeless poverty, we will not turn away. 
On the continent of Africa, America is now committed to bringing the 
healing power of medicine to millions of men and women and children 
suffering with AIDS. This great, strong, compassionate land is leading 
the world in this incredibly important work of human rescue.
    We've got challenges here at home as well. We will prove equal to 
those challenges. Anytime one of our citizens who wants to work can't 
find a job, it says to me that we must continue to strive to enhance the 
entrepreneurial spirit of America. We've had some good numbers recently. 
We're making progress. But enough of our--not enough of our citizens are 
working.
    I spent some quality time today at the BMW plant talking about jobs 
and job creation and job training. So long as people are looking for 
work, this President and this administration will work for a progrowth 
policy so our people can find work.
    We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by 
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. The Congress has taken historic 
action to improve the lives of older citizens. For the first time since 
the creation of Medicare, the House and the Senate have passed reforms 
to increase the choices for our seniors and to provide coverage for 
prescription drugs. It is now time for the House and the Senate to iron 
out their differences and to get a good bill on my desk so we keep the 
promise to America's seniors to have a modern health care system.
    For the sake of health care, we also 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 a rich settlement. 
Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of health care, and they therefore 
affect the Federal budget. Medical liability reform is a national issue 
which requires a national solution. The House of Representatives passed 
a good bill. The bill is stuck in the Senate. Some Senators must 
recognize that no one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. We 
need medical liability reform.
    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 to the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not 
legislate from the bench. Some members of the 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 Senate 
floor. It is time for Members of this U.S. Senate to stop playing 
politics with American justice.
    The Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan. 
This Nation must promote energy efficiency and conservation, no doubt 
about it. But we must use our technologies to be able to use the 
resources we have at hand in environmentally friendly ways. We need 
clean coal technology. We need more natural gas exploration. We need 
safe nuclear energy. For the sake of economic security and for the sake 
of national security, we must become less reliant on foreign sources of 
energy.
    Our prosperous and compassionate--prosperous and strong Nation must 
be a compassionate nation. I will continue to advance our agenda of 
compassionate conservatism,

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which says we'll apply the most innovative and effective ways and ideas 
to help our fellow citizens who hurt. There are still millions of men 
and women who want to end their dependence on 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 that more 
Americans can serve their communities and their country. Both Houses 
should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative to support the 
armies of compassion that are mentoring our children and caring for the 
homeless and offering hope to the addicted. People of all faiths in 
America hear a universal call. People of all faiths can do things 
Government cannot do, which is to heal broken hearts. Our Government 
must not fear the influence of faith in helping people who hurt in our 
society.
    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 to own their own home. Today in America, we 
have a homeownership gap, a minority homeownership gap. I proposed plans 
to the United States Congress to close that gap. We want more people to 
own and manage their own retirement accounts. We want people to own and 
manage their own health care plans. We want more people owning their own 
small business. This administration understands that when a person owns 
something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of America.
    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 in life.
    If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you are 
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you're 
concerned 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 responsibility society, 
each of us is responsible for loving a neighbor just like we would like 
to be loved ourself.
    The culture of service and responsibility is growing 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 strong. People are signing up to help. Faith-based 
programs and charities are vibrant here in America. Firemen and 
policemen and people who wear our Nation's uniform are reminding us what 
it means to sacrifice for something greater than yourself. Our children 
again believe in heroes, because they see them every day.
    In these changing 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 America. This 
is the work that history has set before us. We welcome it, and we know 
that for our country, the best days lie ahead.
    May God bless you all. Thank you very much for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 6:12 p.m. at the Palmetto Expo Center. In 
his remarks, he referred to David H. Wilkins, speaker, South Carolina 
House of Representatives, and his wife, Margaret Susan; Lt. Gov. R. 
Andre Bauer and former Governors David M. Beasley, Carroll A. Campbell, 
and James B. Edwards of South Carolina; Eddie Floyd, John Rainey, and 
Barry Wynn, South Carolina State finance cochairmen, Bush-Cheney '04, 
Inc.; opera singer Sarah Reese; and former President Saddam Hussein of 
Iraq.

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