[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 2 (Monday, January 12, 2004)]
[Pages 19-23]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in St. Louis

January 5, 2004

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Thank you all. Thanks 
for your warm welcome. I appreciate such a warm response. I appreciate 
such a huge crowd. It's great to be back here in St. Louis. I don't know 
if you know this or not, but my grandmother was raised right here in St. 
Louis. And I've got a lot of relatives here. By the way, if you're 
looking for a great uncle, model somebody after Bucky Bush.
    This record-setting event really means we're laying the foundation 
for what is going to be a victory in the State of Missouri in November 
of 2004 and a nationwide victory in 2004. I want to thank all the event 
organizers. I want to thank those of you who are in the grassroots. I 
want to thank you for working hard. I want to thank you for what you're 
going to do.
    The political season is going to come in its own time. I admit I'm 
loosening up--[laughter]--and I'm getting ready. But right now, I'm 
focused on the people's business. See, I have a lot on the agenda. I 
want you to remind your fellow citizens that I will continue to work 
hard to earn the confidence of all Americans by keeping this Nation 
secure and strong and prosperous and free.
    My one regret tonight is that Laura isn't here. She is a fabulous 
lady. She's a great First Lady for our country. She is a wonderful wife, 
a great mother, and she's doing a heck of a job on behalf of the 
American people.
    I appreciate so very much Senator Kit Bond's leadership in the 
United States Senate. I also appreciate a short introduction. [Laughter] 
I also want to thank my friend Senator Jim Talent as well for doing a 
great job for the people of Missouri. I'm pleased that Congresswoman Jo 
Ann Emerson is with us tonight as well as Kenny Hulshof, two fine 
Members of the United States Congress from Missouri.
    I know the secretary of state is with us, Matt Blunt. Thank you for 
coming, Matt. I'm proud you're here. I appreciate the speaker coming, 
Catherine Hanaway, as well as Senate Majority Leader Peter Kinder. Thank 
you all for coming. I want to thank all the members of the statehouse 
for being here and the local officials. I'm so honored you take time to 
come.
    I particularly want to thank my friend Sam Fox, who is the State 
finance chairman for Bush-Cheney. I'm honored that Sam has taken on such 
a big role, and I appreciate the hard work of Sam and the team he has 
put together to make this such a strong and successful event. I call him 
Foxie. Foxie, thanks for your friendship.
    I also appreciate Ann Wagner from the great State of Missouri. She's 
the cochairman of the Republican National Committee. I'm proud to have 
her friendship and proud to have her support here as the chairman of the 
party in Missouri.
    I want to thank Ambassador Steve Brauer and his wife, Kimmy. By the 
way, they did a fabulous job representing our country overseas, and I 
want to thank them for their hard work at this event.
    I know my friend former Senator Jack Danforth is here. I named him 
to a special mission, to be the envoy to the Sudan, and he has done 
incredibly good work in that war-ravaged country. I appreciate your 
service, Jack, and your friendship.
    But most of all, I thank you all for coming. It lifts my spirits to 
see so many people here. It is--it gives me great confidence that we're 
on the path to victory, to know that I've got such broad support in this 
important State of Missouri.
    In the last 3 years, our Nation has acted decisively to confront 
great challenges. I came to this office to solve problems instead

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of passing 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 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.
    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 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.
    Three years ago, the economy was in trouble, and a recession was 
beginning. And then our country was attacked, and we had scandals in 
corporate America and the march to war, all of which 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, I 
have twice led the United States Congress to pass historic tax relief 
for the American people.
    We understand that when Americans have more take-home pay to spend, 
to save, or invest, the whole economy grows, and people are likely to 
find a job. We are 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've given small businesses incentives to expand 
and to hire new people. With all these actions, we are laying the 
foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs across America so every 
single person in this country has the chance to realize the American 
Dream.
    Today, the American economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. 
The figures for the third quarter of 2003 show the economy grew at an 
annual rate of 8.2 percent, the fastest pace in nearly 20 years. 
Productivity is high. Business investment is rising. Housing 
construction is expanding. Manufacturing activity is increasing. And 
we've added 300,000 new jobs over the last 4 months. The tax relief we 
passed is working.
    Three years ago, there was a lot of talk about education reform, but 
there wasn't much action. So 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 in a generation. We're bringing high 
standards and strong accountability measures to every public school in 
America. See, we believe every child--every child--can learn the basics 
of reading and math, and we expect every school to teach the basics of 
reading and math. This administration is challenging the soft bigotry of 
low expectations. The days of excusemaking are over. We expect results 
so that not one single child is left behind in America.
    We reorganized the 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 Missouri's farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs and 
manufacturers. We passed budget agreements that is helping to maintain 
much needed spending discipline in Washington, DC.
    And last month, we completed the greatest advance in health care 
coverage for America's seniors since the founding of Medicare. The new 
Medicare law will give older Americans the option of a prescription drug 
benefit and more control over their health care, so they receive the 
modern medical care they deserve.
    On issue after issue, this administration has acted on principle, 
has kept its word, and has made progress for the American people. The 
United States Congress deserves a lot of credit. I enjoy my relationship 
with Speaker Denny Hastert and Leader Bill Frist. These are two strong, 
fine leaders.
    I appreciate working with the Members, the Senators from the State 
of Missouri and the Members of the House of Representatives. We're 
working hard to change the tone in Washington, DC. There's too much 
needless politics and endless backbiting, and the best way to change the 
tone is to focus on

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results, to be results-oriented people, to deliver progress on behalf of 
all Americans. And those are the kind of people I've attracted to my 
administration.
    I've put together the finest administration of any President in our 
Nation's history, good, honorable, decent, hard-working people who have 
come to Washington, DC, to serve a cause greater than their own self-
interest. Our country has had no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. 
Mother may have a second opinion. [Laughter]
    In 3 years, we've come far. We have done a lot, 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 that is prosperous and compassionate 
so that every citizen has a chance to work and to succeed and to 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 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 all people can be 
certain they will never again have to fear the rule of Saddam Hussein. 
The Ba'athist holdouts, largely responsible for the current violence, 
now know there will be no return to the corrupt power and privilege they 
once held. All Iraqis who have taken the side of freedom have taken the 
winning side.
    We still face terrorists who would rather go on killing the innocent 
than accept the rise of liberty in the Middle East. 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, but America will never be intimidated by a bunch of 
assassins and thugs.
    We are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them 
there so we will never have to face them in our own country. We're 
calling on other nations to help build a free Iraq, because a free Iraq 
will make the whole 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.
    We're working hard to oppose proliferation around the world. Last 
month, after talks with the United States and Great Britain, Libya 
voluntarily committed to disclose and dismantle all its weapons of mass 
destruction programs. Leaders around the world now know weapons of mass 
destruction do not bring influence or prestige; they bring isolation and 
unwelcome consequences. And nations who abandon the pursuit of these 
weapons will find an open path to better relations with the United 
States of America.
    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. I believe that freedom is the future of every 
nation. And we know that freedom is not America's gift to the world. 
Freedom is God's gift to every man and woman who lives in this world.
    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, this great country is now committed to 
bringing the healing power of medicine to millions of men and women and 
children now suffering with AIDS. This great, compassionate land is 
leading the world in this incredibly important work of human rescue.
    We face challenges here at home, and our actions will prove that 
we're equal to those challenges. My administration will stay focused on 
a progrowth agenda until everyone who wants to work can find a job.
    And for the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on 
the frivolous lawsuits

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which increase the cost of medicine. People who get 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. 
Therefore, medical liability reform is a national issue that requires a 
national solution. The House of Representatives passed a good bill to 
reform the system. The bill is stuck in the United States Senate. I want 
to thank the two Missouri Senators for supporting this incredibly 
important piece of legislation. Other Members of the Senate must 
understand that no one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit in 
America.
    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 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 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 bill 
and get it to my desk. This Nation must promote energy efficiency and 
conservation. We must work to develop cleaner technology to help us 
explore for energy in environmentally sensitive ways. For the sake of 
economic security and for the sake of national security, we need to 
become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    Our strong and prosperous Nation must also be a compassionate 
nation. I will 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 are still millions of men and women who want to end their 
dependence on the Government and become independent through hard work. 
We must continue to build on the successes 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 communities and their country. Both houses 
should reach agreement on my Faith-Based Initiative, so we can better 
support the armies of compassion, people of all faiths who are willing 
to lead with their heart and help solve the problems that seem 
intractable in our society. We need to support those soldiers in the 
armies of compassion who are mentoring the children, caring for the 
homeless, and offering hope for the addicted. This Nation must not fear 
the influence of faith in our society. We must welcome the works of 
faith in our society.
    A compassionate society must promote opportunity for every one of 
us, including the independence and dignity that come from ownership. My 
administration will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in 
America. We want more people owning their own home. We have a minority 
homeownership gap in America. I want to thank the Senate for passing the 
downpayment assistance plan to help more people afford a new home. We 
want people owning and managing their own retirement accounts and owning 
and managing their own health care accounts. We want more people to own 
their own small business. This administration understands that when a 
person owns something, he or she has a vital stake in the future of this 
country.
    In a compassionate society, people respect one another, respect 
another person's religion and their point of view. And people 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 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 are responsible for telling the truth to your 
shareholders and your employees. And in the responsibility society, each 
of us is responsible for

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loving a 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's called the USA Freedom Corps to encourage Americans 
to extend a compassionate hand to a neighbor in need, and the response 
has been incredibly strong. People are serving our Nation by helping 
somebody who hurts.
    You know, the great fabric of America exists at the community level, 
where civic groups are formed to put--reach out a hand to someone in 
need. It's really one of the great strengths of our country. Policemen 
and firefighters and people who wear our Nation's uniform remind us on a 
daily basis what it means to sacrifice for something greater than 
ourselves. 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 have 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 our 
strength to defend the peace. We're an optimistic country, confident in 
ourselves and in ideals bigger than ourselves.
    Abroad, we seek to lift up 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.

Note: The President spoke at 5:50 p.m. at America's Center. In his 
remarks, he referred to William H.T. ``Bucky'' Bush, Missouri State 
chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Missouri Secretary of State Matt Blunt; 
Catherine Hanaway, speaker, Missouri State house of representatives; 
Peter Kinder, president pro tempore, Missouri State senate; Stephen 
Brauer, former U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, and his wife, Camilla; former 
Senator John Danforth, Special Envoy for Peace in the Sudan; and former 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.