[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 9 (Monday, March 1, 2004)]
[Pages 292-297]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Luncheon in Louisville

February 26, 2004

    Thank you all for coming. Thanks for your support. Thanks for your 
friendship. Thanks for your warm welcome. I'm proud to be back here in 
the great Commonwealth of Kentucky. I'm pleased to be with so many 
friends.
    I appreciate my friend Darrell Waltrip being here. I was at NASCAR 
the other day. Man, I can see why he liked that so much. [Laughter] It's 
an amazing environment. He has a lot to be proud of. He had a fabulous 
career. I know one of his proudest moments came when his little brother 
won the big race in Florida. I went through the same experience. 
[Laughter]
    We're ready to go here in Kentucky. We've got a great organization. 
I want to thank the people who are going to man the phones and put up 
the signs and get the people to the polls. The Vice President and I 
appreciate all you did for us last time. We appreciate all you're going 
to do for us this time. We intend to win the State of Kentucky.
    Vice President Cheney is a great Vice President. He's done a heck of 
a good job for our country. Our country has had no finer Vice President, 
although Mother may have a second opinion. No, I'm proud to have him by 
my side, proud to be campaigning with him.
    I'm also proud of the job Laura is doing. She's a fabulous First 
Lady for this country. She sends her best, her best wishes and her love 
to our friends here in Kentucky.
    I want to thank Cathy Bailey for taking on a tough job and doing 
such a good job.
    I want to thank Elaine Chao, who is with us today, a member of my 
Cabinet. I think when people start to analyze an administration's 
effectiveness, they need to look at the people in the Cabinet. When 
people surround themselves with excellence--they should surround 
themselves with excellence, and I have. I've attracted a really good 
team of people from all walks of life to come to the Nation's Capital 
and to serve something greater than their self-interest, their country. 
And Elaine is part of the fabulous Cabinet I put together, and I want to 
thank you for being here, Elaine. And I understand why your husband is 
not here--he's voting. But Mitch has done a really good job for the 
people of Kentucky, and I'm proud to call him friend.
    You need to send Jim Bunning back to Washington, DC, as well. I flew 
down with Anne Northup today on the plane. We had a great visit about 
Kentucky and the issues down here. She's a really competent, good 
person. I know Woody is with us; Anne had to go back and cast an 
important vote. I gave her permission to do so. [Laughter] But she 
really is a fine, fine Representative of the people of Louisville, 
Kentucky. You need to send her back too.

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    And I appreciate my friend the Governor being here. He's got the--I 
used to say the Governor was the best job in America. I'm not so sure, 
because you don't have much foreign policy. [Laughter] But it's 
important to have somebody who is willing to make decisions, and Ernie 
is that kind of person. He'll do a fine job as a Governor of this State, 
and I'm proud--proud, Ernie, that you ran. I appreciate you coming.
    And I'm glad Steve Pence is with us, the Lieutenant Governor. And 
Secretary of State Trey Grayson is here as well. Senate President David 
Williams--he and I were just laughing about the time we campaigned in 
southern Kentucky in a mobile home, eating Kentucky barbecue. [Laughter] 
Gosh, I hope I get some on the plane going back. But good to see David. 
And Dick Roeding is with us as well. I appreciate the local and State 
officials who have come today.
    I want to thank Mike Duncan and Ellen Williams, great friends of 
mine who are helping steer this party to victory. I want to thank my 
friend Mercer Reynolds, who is the national finance chairman--he's from 
Cincinnati, Ohio--who has taken time out of his busy life to help make 
sure that we're ready to go, that when the bell rings, this campaign is 
fully funded and ready to take our message across the country.
    You know, we meet here during the Presidential primary season. We're 
witnessing a clear trend. It looks like we have a winner in the 
Republican primaries. [Laughter] The other party's nomination battle is 
still playing out. They're an interesting group with a lot of strong 
differences of opinion. They're for tax cuts and against them, for NAFTA 
and against NAFTA, for the PATRIOT Act, against the PATRIOT Act, in 
favor of liberating Iraq and opposed to it. And that's just one Senator 
from Massachusetts.
    They haven't--they're not finished selecting their nominee. Yet this 
much is certain: Come November, the voters are going to have a very 
clear choice. It's a choice between keeping the tax relief that is 
moving the economy forward or putting the burden of higher taxes back on 
the American people. It is a choice between an America that leads the 
world with strength and confidence or an America that is uncertain in 
the face of danger. I look forward to setting these alternatives 
squarely before the American people. I look forward to the campaign.
    We have a record of historic achievement. And most importantly, we 
have a positive vision for the years ahead, for winning the war against 
terror, for extending peace and freedom throughout our world, and for 
creating jobs and opportunity here at home. We will leave no doubt where 
we stand, and we will win on the 2nd of November.
    The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and we have given 
serious answers. We came to office with an economy heading into 
recession. We delivered historic tax relief, and now our economy is the 
fastest growing of any major industrialized nation. We had to confront 
corporate crimes that cost people their jobs and their savings, so we 
passed strong corporate reforms and we made it abundantly clear we will 
not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America.
    We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning, so we have 
pursued the terrorist enemy across the world and have captured or killed 
many key leaders of the Al Qaida network. And the rest of them will 
learn there is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American 
justice.
    We confronted the dangers of state-sponsored terror and the spread 
of weapons of mass destruction, so we ended two of the most violent and 
dangerous regimes on Earth. We freed more than 50 million people in 
those two countries. Once again, America is proud to lead the armies of 
liberation.
    When Dick Cheney and I came to Washington, we found a military that 
was underfunded and underappreciated, so we gave our military the 
resources and respect they deserve. And today, no one in the world can 
question the skill and the strength and the spirit of the United States 
military.
    When we came to office, people had gotten used to gridlock and old 
problems were used to score points. Old problems were politicized and 
debated and just--then just passed on from year to year. But we didn't 
come to Washington to do things the Washington way. We came to get some 
things done. We passed major reforms to raise standards in public 
schools all across America. We passed reforms in Medicare to get

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prescription drugs and choice to senior citizens. We chose to lead, and 
we have delivered results for the American people.
    Here's what I believe: It is the President's job to confront 
problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future 
generations. A President needs to step up, make the hard decisions, and 
keep his commitments. And that is how I will continue to lead our 
country.
    Great events will turn on this election. The man who sits in the 
Oval Office will set the course of the war on terror and the direction 
of our economy. The security and prosperity of America are at stake. Our 
opponents have not offered much in the way of strategies to win the war 
or policies to expand the economy. So far, all we hear is a lot of old 
bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda for the future of 
America. We will take on the big issues with optimism and resolve and 
determination. We stand ready to lead our country for the next 4 years.
    A big issue for every family in America is the Federal tax burden. 
With the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was the President, we 
have left more money in the hands of those who earned it. By spending 
and investing, people have helped to move this economy forward. More 
people are finding work. The American people have used their money far 
better than the Government would have.
    Our opponents have their own plan for the tax cuts. They plan to 
take them away. They will use that money to expand the Federal 
Government. I have a better idea. To keep the economy growing, we must 
have fiscal discipline in Washington, DC. To keep the economy growing, 
the tax cuts must be permanent.
    We must do more. We need to protect small-business owners and 
employees from frivolous lawsuits and needless regulation. We need to 
control the costs of health care by passing medical liability reform. We 
need to pass sound energy legislation to modernize our electricity 
system and to make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy. 
Our opponents talk about job creation, but they're against every one of 
these job-creating measures. Empty talk about jobs won't get anybody 
hired. The way to create jobs is through our pro-growth, pro-
entrepreneurial economic agenda.
    This economy of ours is going through a time of challenge and 
change, and we're helping people to gain the skills and security to make 
a good living and to look forward to a good retirement. All skills start 
with education. That's why I was so insistent that Congress pass the No 
Child Left Behind Act. It is a good law, a sound piece of legislation, 
historic reform that brings high standards and accountability to every 
classroom in America.
    There's more to do. We have a plan to help high school students who 
fall behind in reading and math. We have plans to make sure our 
community colleges train workers for the industries that are creating 
the most new jobs. Education is the gateway to a hopeful future, and 
that gate must be open to all Americans.
    This administration is also working toward an ownership society in 
which more people own their own homes to build their own savings. We 
want more people owning their own small businesses. We want people 
owning and managing their health care plans. We want younger workers to 
own and manage their retirement under Social Security. When people have 
solid assets, they gain independence and security and dignity and more 
control over their future. I believe so strongly in private property, I 
want every American to own some.
    On issue after issue, the American people have a clear choice. Our 
opponents are against personal retirement accounts. They're against 
putting patients in charge of Medicare. They're against tax relief. They 
seem to be against every idea that gives Americans more authority and 
more choices and more control over our own lives. It's the same old 
Washington mindset. They'll give the orders, and you will pay the bills. 
I've got news for them. America has gone beyond that way of thinking, 
and we're not going back. Inherent in all our policies is this theme, 
this belief: We trust the people, not Washington politicians, to make 
the best decisions for their own money, their own health, their own 
retirement, and their own lives.

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    Our future also depends on America's leadership in the world. The 
momentum of freedom in our time is strong, but we still face serious 
dangers. Al Qaida is wounded, but not broken. Terrorists are testing our 
will in Afghanistan and Iraq. Regimes in North Korea and Iran are 
challenging the peace. If America shows weakness and uncertainty in this 
decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my 
watch.
    No friend or enemy today doubts the word of the United States. This 
Nation is strong. We are steadfast. We are confident in the cause of 
freedom. America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime 
in Afghanistan. The Taliban chose defiance. The Taliban are no longer in 
power. America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in 
Iraq. The dictator chose defiance. The dictator now sits in a prison 
cell.
    September the 11th, 2001, taught a lesson I have not forgotten. 
America must confront threats before they fully materialize. In Iraq, my 
administration looked at the intelligence, and we saw a danger. Members 
of Congress looked at the intelligence, and they saw danger. The United 
Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence; it saw a danger. 
The previous administration and Congress looked at the intelligence and 
made regime change in Iraq the policy of our country.
    In 2002, the United Nations Security Council yet again demanded a 
full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs. And as he had for 
over a decade, Saddam Hussein refused to comply. So we had a choice to 
make, either to take the word of a madman or take action to defend 
America and the world. Faced with that choice, I will defend America 
every time.
    Others would have chosen differently. They now agree that the world 
is better off with Saddam removed from power. They just didn't support 
removing him from power. [Laughter] Maybe they were hoping he would lose 
the next Iraqi election. [Laughter]
    We showed the dictator and the watching world that America means 
what it says. Because our coalition acted, Saddam's torture chambers are 
closed. Because we acted, Iraq's weapons programs are ended forever. 
Because we acted, nations like Libya have gotten the message and 
renounced their own weapons programs. Because we acted, an example of 
democracy is rising at the very heart of the Middle East. Because we 
acted, the world is more free and America is more secure.
    We still face thugs and terrorists in Iraq who would rather go on 
killing the innocent than accept the advance of liberty. They know that 
a free Iraq will be a major defeat for the cause of terror. This 
collection of killers is trying to shake the will of America. America 
will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.
    We're aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq, defeating them 
there so we don't have to face them in our own country. We're calling on 
other nations to help Iraq build a free society, which makes all of us 
more safe. 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 are essential tasks. We will finish what we have begun. 
And we will win this essential victory in the war on terror.
    On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice. 
Opponents say they approve of bold action in the world, but only if no 
other government disagrees. I'm all for united action, and so are the 34 
coalition partners we have in Iraq right now. Yet America must never 
outsource America's national security decision to leaders of other 
governments.
    Some of our opponents are skeptical that the war on terror is really 
a war at all. They view terrorism more as a crime, a problem to be 
solved with law enforcement and indictments. Our Nation followed that 
approach after the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993. The matter was 
handled in the courts and thought by some to be settled. Terrorists were 
still training in Afghanistan, still plotting in other nations, and 
drawing up more ambitious plans. After the chaos and carnage of 
September the 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal 
papers. With those attacks, the terrorists and supporters declared war 
on the United States of America, and war is what they got.
    At bases across our country and the world, I've had the privilege of 
meeting with the men and women of our military who are defending this 
country, who are sacrificing for

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our security. I've seen their great decency, their unselfish courage. 
And I can assure you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in 
good hands.
    Our Nation is prosperous and we are strong, yet we need to remember 
that our greatest strength is in the hearts and souls of our citizens. 
We're strong because of the values we try to live by, courage and 
compassion, reverence and integrity. We're strong because of the 
institutions that help to give us direction and purpose, families and 
schools and religious congregations. These values and institutions are 
fundamental to our lives, and they deserve the respect of our 
Government.
    We stand for fair treatment of faith-based groups so they can 
receive Federal support for their works of compassion and healing. We 
will not stand for Government discrimination against people of faith. We 
stand for welfare reforms that require work and strengthen marriage, 
which have helped millions of Americans find independence and dignity. 
We will not stand for any attempt to weaken those reforms and to send 
people back into the lives of dependence.
    We stand for a culture of life in which every person counts and 
every person matters. We will not stand for the treatment of any life as 
a commodity to be experimented upon or exploited or cloned. We stand for 
the confirmation of judges who strictly and faithfully interpret the 
law. We will not stand for judges who undermine democracy by legislating 
from the bench or try to remake the culture of America by court order.
    We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're changing 
the culture in this country 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're responsible for the 
decisions we make in life. If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or 
a father, 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 this new 
responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our 
neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourself.
    For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand 
apart. There are quiet times in the life of the Nation when little is 
expected of our leaders. This is not one of those times. You and I are 
living in a period when the stakes are high, the challenges are 
difficult, the choices are clear, a time where resolve is needed. None 
of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another began.
    On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin 
Towers. I remember a lot about that day. Workers in hardhats were 
shouting, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember a guy pointing at me and 
saying, ``Don't let me down.'' As we did all--as we all did that day, 
the men and women who were searching through the rubble took it 
personally. I took it personally. I have a great responsibility that 
goes on. I will never relent in bringing justice to our enemies. I will 
defend the security of America, whatever it takes.
    In these times, I've also been a witness to the character of this 
Nation. Not long ago, some had their doubts about the American 
character, a capacity to meet serious challenges, capacity to serve a 
cause greater than self-interest. Americans have given their answer. 
I've seen the unselfish courage of our troops. I've seen the heroism of 
Americans in the face of danger. I've seen the spirit of service and 
compassion renewed in our country. We all have seen our Nation unite in 
common purpose when it mattered most.
    We will need all of these qualities for the work ahead. We have a 
war to win. And the world is counting on us to lead the cause of freedom 
and peace. We have a duty to spread opportunity to every part 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 12:35 p.m. at the Galt House Hotel. In his 
remarks, he referred to NASCAR drivers Darrell and Michael Waltrip; 
Cathy Bailey, national committeewoman, Mike Duncan, national 
committeeman, and Ellen Williams, chairperson, Republican Party of 
Kentucky;

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Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, husband of Secretary of Labor 
Elaine L. Chao; Robert Wood ``Woody'' Northup, husband of Representative 
Anne M. Northup; Gov. Ernie Fletcher and Lt. Gov. Steve Pence of 
Kentucky; Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson; David Williams, 
president, and Richard L. Roeding, president pro tem, Kentucky State 
Senate; and Mercer Reynolds, national finance chairman, Bush-Cheney '04, 
Inc.