[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 49 (Monday, December 8, 2003)]
[Pages 1719-1724]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Luncheon in Dearborn, Michigan

December 1, 2003

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. I appreciate you joining 
our campaign. You know what this means? It means we're laying the 
foundation for what is going to be

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a victory in Michigan and a nationwide victory in '04.
    I want to thank you for your help, and I want to thank you for your 
support. I'm getting ready, and I'm loosening up. [Laughter] But the 
political season will come in its own time. There will be plenty of time 
for politics, plenty of time for all the balloon drops and political 
speeches. See, I've got a job to do. I've got a job to do for everybody 
who lives in this country. So when you go to your coffee shops and your 
community centers, you tell them, ``The politics will come, but right 
now the President is working hard to make sure America is secure and 
strong and prosperous and free.''
    Laura sends her best. I know, you wish she were here instead of me. 
I understand. [Laughter] She's a fabulous First Lady. I really am a 
lucky man that she agreed to marry me, and the country, I think, is 
lucky that she is the First Lady.
    I appreciate State campaign chair Candice Miller. I thank her for 
her introduction. I thank her for her service to this State. I look 
forward to working with her to carry Michigan. I want to thank Michael, 
Michael Kojaian, for his leadership as the State finance chairman for 
Bush-Cheney. I'm honored that Michael has taken on this responsibility.
    I want to thank the Members of the United States Congress other than 
Candice Miller who have shown up today, Congressmen Upton, Camp, 
Knollenberg, Smith, Rogers, and McCotter. I'm honored they are here. I 
want to thank you all for coming.
    I appreciate Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land for joining us 
today, as well as Attorney General Mike Cox. I know the speaker is here, 
Rick Johnson. Mr. Speaker, thank you for coming. And I appreciate all 
the members of the house and the State senate who have joined us. Go 
back to your districts and work hard--[laughter]--for Bush-Cheney '04.
    I want to thank Betsy DeVos and Sharon Wise for taking a leadership 
position. I want to thank my friend Mercer Reynolds, who is the national 
finance chairman. Mostly I want to thank the activists who are here. You 
see, you win a campaign not only by helping to raise money; you win a 
campaign by putting up the signs and licking the envelopes and making 
the phone calls to turn out the vote. I want to thank you for what 
you're going to do as we come down the stretch in 2004.
    And as you do so, I want you to remind people that during the last 3 
years, our Nation has acted decisively to confront great challenges. You 
see, 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 of the key leaders of the 
Al Qaida network, and the rest of them know we're on their trail. In 
Afghanistan and 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.
    Three years ago, our military was not receiving the resources it 
needed, and morale was beginning to suffer. So we increased the defense 
budgets to prepare for the threat of a new era. And today, no one in the 
world can question the skill, the strength, and the spirit of the United 
States military.
    Three years ago, the economy was in trouble and a recession was just 
beginning. And then our country was attacked, and we had corporate 
scandals and war--all affected the people's confidence. But we acted. We 
acted. We passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account. 
And 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 someone is 
more likely to find a job. So we're returning more money to the people 
to help them raise their families, reduce taxes on dividends and capital 
gains to encourage investment, giving small businesses incentives to 
expand and to hire new people. With all these actions--with all these 
actions, we're laying the foundation for greater prosperity and more 
jobs across America so that every single citizen has a chance to realize 
the American Dream.

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    Our economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. Figures for the 
third quarter were recently revised upward to an annual growth rate of 
8.2 percent. That's the fastest growth rate in nearly 20 years. Today 
the purchasing manager's index came out, which shows that our 
manufacturing sector is getting stronger. It's the highest numbers in 
nearly 20 years. Productivity is high. Business investment is getting 
strong. Housing construction is strong. The tax relief we passed is 
working.
    Three years ago, there was a lot of talk about education reform; 
there wasn't much action at the Federal Government. So I acted. I called 
for and Congress passed, with a solid bipartisan majority, the No Child 
Left Behind Act. This was the most dramatic education reform in a 
generation. It said we will spend money at the Federal level, 
particularly on Title I students, but for the first time, the Federal 
Government is demanding results, high standards and results. You see, we 
believe every child can learn the basics of reading and math. We expect 
every school to teach the basics of reading and math. This 
administration is challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations. In 
return for Federal money, we now expect results in every single 
classroom in America so not one single child is left behind.
    During this period, we reorganized our Government and created the 
Department of Homeland Security to better safeguard our borders and 
ports and to better protect the American people. We passed trade 
promotion authority to open up new markets for Michigan's farmers and 
entrepreneurs and manufacturers. We passed budget agreements to help 
maintain spending discipline in Washington. On issue after issue, this 
administration has acted on principle, has kept its word, and has made 
progress for the American people.
    The Congress shares in these achievements. We've done a lot because 
we've worked together. I appreciate Speaker Hastert and Leader Frist. 
Again, I want to thank the Members of the U.S. Congress who are here 
today. See, we're working hard to get rid of the needless politics that 
tends to dominate the political landscape in Washington, DC, the 
backbiting and name calling. The best way to do that is to focus on 
results for the American people, and that's exactly what we're doing. 
We're delivering for the American people.
    And those are the kind of people I've attracted to my 
administration. A mark of the administration is the capacity of fine, 
good, honorable people from all walks of life to serve America, and I 
have done just that. I put together a great group of Americans to serve. 
This country has had no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. Mother 
has a second opinion. [Laughter]
    In 3 years, we have come far, we've done a lot, but our work is only 
beginning. I've set great goals worthy of this 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 that is prosperous and compassionate 
so that every citizen has a chance to work and to succeed and realize 
the tremendous 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 the country into chaos by 
attacking coalition forces and aid workers and innocent Iraqi citizens. 
They know that the advance of freedom in Iraq, in the heart of the 
Middle East, would be a major defeat for the cause of terror. The 
coalition of killers--the collection of killers is trying to shake the 
will of America. America will not be intimidated by a bunch of thugs and 
assassins. We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq. We will 
defeat them there so we do not have to face them in our own country.
    Other nations are helping. They're helping to build a free country 
in Iraq because they know a free Iraq will make us all more secure. 
We're standing with the Iraqi people, the brave Iraqi people, as they 
assume more of their own defense and more of their own

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self-government. These are not easy tasks, but they are essential tasks. 
And the United States of America 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 develop weapons of mass terror to 
threaten the world. Americans believe that freedom is the deepest need 
and hope of every human heart. We believe that freedom is the future of 
every nation. And we know that freedom is not America's gift to the 
world. Freedom is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman living 
in this world.
    America also understands that unprecedented influence brings 
tremendous responsibilities. When we see disease and starvation and 
hopeless poverty, we will not turn away. And that's why, on the 
continent of Africa, America is now committed to bringing the healing 
power of medicine to millions of men, women, and children now suffering 
with AIDS.
    We face challenges here at home. Our actions will prove that we're 
equal to those challenges. I'm leaving here to go to a small business to 
talk about the entrepreneurial spirit in America, about the need to 
create--continue to create a pro-growth environment so their businesses, 
large and small, can remain vibrant and can grow, so that people can 
find a job.
    We're keeping our commitment to America's seniors by strengthening 
and modernizing Medicare. See, for years, seniors have called for a 
modern Medicare system, one that provides coverage for prescription 
drugs and a system that gives seniors more choices. Washington listened. 
Washington didn't do anything. Finally, Washington has acted. I want to 
thank the House and the Senate for passing a bill I will shortly sign 
that will modernize the Medicare system and keep a promise to this 
country'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. 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. They therefore 
affect the Federal budget. Medical liability reform is a national issue 
which requires a national solution. I proposed a good bill for the 
Congress to look at. The House of Representatives passed the bill. The 
bill is stuck in the United States Senate. The Senators from this State 
must act on behalf of the American people and support medical liability 
reform. No one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. We need 
reform now.
    I have the responsibility as the President to make sure the judicial 
system runs well, and I have met that duty. I've nominated superb men 
and women for the Federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not 
legislate from the bench. A small group of Senators is willfully 
obstructing the process. Some appeals court nominees, including four 
from the great State of Michigan, four outstanding jurists from this 
State, are being forced to wait months or even years for an up-or-down 
vote. The needless delays in the system are harming the administration 
of justice. They're deeply unfair to the nominees themselves. It is time 
for some Members of the United States Senate to stop playing politics 
with American justice.
    This country needs an energy policy. We need a policy that 
encourages more conservation and energy efficiency. We need an energy 
policy which will help modernize the infrastructure, the capacity to 
deliver much-needed power to homes and businesses. We need to explore in 
environmentally friendly ways for more energy. What we really need is, 
for the sake of economic security and national security, to become less 
dependent on foreign sources of power.
    A strong and prosperous nation must be a compassionate nation as 
well. I'm going to continue to advance our agenda of what I call 
compassionate conservatism, which means we'll apply the most effective, 
the best, the most innovative ideas to the task of helping our fellow 
citizens in need. We'll promote social entrepreneurship all across our 
country. There's 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 by training and

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help, so more of our fellow citizens can find work and dignity.
    Congress should pass what's called the ``Citizen Service Act'' so 
more Americans can serve their communities and their countries. Both 
Houses should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative. Government 
can hand out money, can write checks, but it cannot put hope in people's 
hearts or a sense of purpose in people's lives. Many of the seemingly 
intractable problems of our society can only be solved through love. And 
we find love in our houses of worship. We find love where there's faith, 
faith of all walks of life, faith of all religions. Our Government 
should not fear faith. We ought to welcome faith in the helping to heal 
the broken hearts of America.
    A compassionate society is one that promotes opportunity for all, 
including the independence and dignity that come from ownership. This 
administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in 
America. See, we want more people owning their own home. We have a 
minority homeownership gap in this country. I've submitted a plan to 
Congress to help close that gap. We want people owning and controlling 
their own health care plans, their own retirement accounts. We want more 
people owning their own small business. You see, we understand that when 
a person owns something in America, he or she has a vital stake in the 
future of this country.
    A compassionate society is one in which people respect one another, 
respect their points of view, respect their opinions, respect their 
religion, and also a society in which people take responsibility for the 
decisions they make. The culture is changing in 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 we are responsible for the decisions we make in life.
    If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you're 
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 a responsibility society, 
each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to 
be loved ourself.

    The culture of service is strong in America. People are accepting 
responsibility for the decisions they make. I started what's called the 
USA Freedom Corps. It was a chance for people to extend a compassionate 
hand to people in need, and the response has been strong. Our 
neighborhood healers are vibrant and strong. The armies of compassion 
are growing all across America. Policemen and firefighters and people 
who wear our Nation's uniform are reminding us what it means to 
sacrifice for something greater than yourself in life. Once again, the 
children of America believe in heroes, because they see them every day.

    And 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 3 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 this country. 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 for coming. Glad you're here.

Note: The President spoke at 12:05 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. In 
his remarks, he referred to Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land and State 
Attorney General Mike Cox of Michigan; Rick Johnson, speaker of the 
Michigan House of Representatives; Betsy DeVos, Michigan State chairman, 
and Sharon A. Wise, Michigan national committeewoman, Republican 
National Committee; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The 
President also referred to Title I of the Improving America's Schools 
Act of 1994 (Public Law No. 103-382), which amended Title I of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Public Law No. 89-10).

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