[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 10 (Monday, March 8, 2004)]
[Pages 325-329]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Bush-Cheney Reception in Los Angeles

March 3, 2004

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Thank you all for 
coming. Appreciate you coming. Please be seated. Thanks for the warm 
welcome. It is great to be back in Los Angeles. I'm thankful you all are 
here.
    I'm aware that they handed out the Oscars last Sunday night. 
``Terminator 3'' didn't win any. [Laughter] But the star of the movie 
had a pretty good year. I know he's new to politics, but he is getting 
used to all the lights and the cameras. I used to think my brother Jeb 
was the coolest Governor. By electing Arnold Schwarzenegger, the voters 
of California have shown that no party can take this State for granted.
    The Vice President and I are going to be spending some quality time 
in the State of California. With your help, we're going to make 
California part of a nationwide victory in November of '04. Speaking of 
the Vice President, he's doing a fine job. The country has had no finer 
Vice President than Dick Cheney. Mother may have a second opinion. 
[Laughter]
    It's good to see the Desert Moms here. Those are the ones who didn't 
go through the background check. [Laughter] But recently, Laura was in 
the desert with the Moms. And she sends her best to not only the Moms 
but all the folks here. I'm really proud of Laura. She is a fabulous 
First Lady and a great wife.
    I want to thank my friend Brad Freeman, who has been a loyal friend. 
He's the State finance chairman here in California. I want to thank my 
friend Gerry Parsky, who's the State campaign general chairman. I want 
to thank my friend Mercer Reynolds from Cincinnati, Ohio, who is the 
chairman of the Bush-Cheney reelect campaign. I appreciate the fact that 
Bill Simon is here and his wife, Cindy. I want to thank them for having 
served.
    I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. 
[Applause] There you go. I appreciate my friend Rabbi Marvin Hier, who 
gave the blessing. He has a wonderful heart. It sets an incredibly 
important tone for the country. I want to thank Art Yoon, who's the 
mayor pro tem of Hermosa Beach, for leading the pledge.
    But most of all, I want to thank you all for being our friend. Thank 
you for helping us. Thank you for getting ready for this campaign.
    Last night, I placed a call to Senator Kerry. I told him I was 
looking forward to a spirited campaign. I congratulated him on his 
victory. This should be an interesting debate on the issues. He spent 
two decades in Congress; he's built up quite a record. [Laughter] In 
fact, Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both 
sides on just about every issue.
    The voters will have a very clear choice this year between keeping 
the tax relief that is moving this economy forward or putting the burden 
of higher taxes back on the American people. It's a choice between an 
America that leads the world with strength and confidence or an America 
that is uncertain

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in the face of danger. I'm ready for this campaign. I look forward to 
setting the alternative squarely before the American people.
    We've achieved great things the past 3 years. But most importantly, 
we have a positive vision for the years ahead, a positive vision for 
winning the war against terror and extending peace and freedom, a 
positive vision for creating jobs and promoting opportunity, a positive 
vision for compassion here at home. We'll 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 a stock market in decline, an 
economy heading into recession. We delivered historic tax relief, and 
now our economy is the fastest growing of any industrialized nation.
    We confronted corporate criminals that cost people their jobs and 
their savings, so we passed strong corporate reforms and made it clear 
we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America.
    We saw war and grief arrive on a quiet September morning, so we 
pursued the terrorist enemy across the world. We captured or killed many 
of the 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 the two most violent and 
dangerous regimes on Earth. We freed over 50 million people. And 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 political points. Old problems were 
politicized and debated and then just passed on from year to year. But 
we came to Washington to get things done. We passed major reforms to 
raise the standards in our public schools. We passed reforms in Medicare 
to get prescription drugs and choices to our seniors. We have chosen to 
lead, and we have delivered results for the American people.
    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, keep his commitments, and that is exactly 
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. My 
opponent hasn't offered much in the way of strategies to win the war or 
policies to expand our economy. So far, all we hear from that side is a 
lot of old bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda for the 
future of America. My administration has taken on the big issues with 
optimism and resolve and determination, and we stand ready to lead this 
Nation for 4 more years.
    A big issue for every family in America is the Federal tax burden. 
With the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was President, we've 
left more money in the hands that earned it. By spending and investing 
and helping create new jobs, the American people have used their money 
far better than the Government would have.
    Because we acted, our economy is growing stronger. The economy grew 
in the second half of 2003 at the fastest rate in nearly 20 years. 
Productivity is high. Business investment is rising. Interest rates and 
inflation are low. Homeownership is the highest rate ever. Manufacturing 
is increasing. We've added 336,000 new jobs over the last 5 months. The 
tax relief we passed is working.
    My opponent has plans for those tax cuts. He wants to take them 
away, and he would use that money to expand the Federal Government. I 
have a better idea: To keep this economy growing and to create jobs, the 
tax cuts must be permanent.
    And we must do more to keep the economy growing. We need to maintain 
fiscal discipline in Washington, DC. We need to protect small-business 
owners and employees

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from frivolous lawsuits and needless regulation. We need to help control 
the costs of health care by passing Federal medical liability reform. We 
need to continue to open up markets for America's farmers and ranchers 
and entrepreneurs and manufacturers. We need to pass sound energy 
legislation to modernize the electricity system and make our country 
less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    My opponent talks about job creation too, but he's against every one 
of these job-creating measures. Empty talk about jobs and economic 
isolation won't get anyone hired. The way to create jobs is our pro-
growth, pro-entrepreneur agenda.
    This economy of ours is going through a time of change, and we're 
helping people to gain the skills and security to make a good living. 
All skills start with education, so I worked with Congress to pass the 
No Child Left Behind Act. This is a good law that is challenging the 
soft bigotry of low expectations. It's a law that is bringing higher 
standards and accountability to every public school so that not one 
single child is left behind.
    And there's more to do. We have a plan to help high school students 
who fall behind in reading and math. We have a plan to help community 
colleges train workers for the industries that are creating the most new 
jobs. You see, this administration understands clearly that education is 
the gateway to a hopeful future, and that gate must be open to all 
Americans.
    We're also working to promote an ownership society in America in 
which more people own their own homes and build their own savings. We 
want more people owning their own small businesses. We want people to 
own and manage their own health care plans. We want younger workers to 
be able to own and manage their own retirement under Social Security. I 
understand this, that when people have solid assets, they gain 
independence and security and dignity and more control over their own 
future. I believe in private property so much, I want everybody to have 
some in America.
    On issue after issue, the American people have a clear choice. My 
opponent is against personal retirement accounts. He's against putting 
patients in charge of Medicare. He's against tax relief. He seems to be 
against every idea that gives Americans more authority, 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 the Washington crowd. America has gone beyond that way of 
thinking, and we're not going back. I trust the people of this country. 
I trust the people to make the best decisions for their own money, for 
their own health, for their own retirement.
    Our future also depends on America's leadership in this 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 of 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. This Nation is strong and confident in the cause of freedom. And 
today, no friend or enemy doubts the word of the United States of 
America.
    America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in 
Afghanistan. The Taliban chose defiance, and 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 will never forget: 
America must confront threats before they fully materialize.
    In Iraq, my administration looked at the intelligence information, 
and we saw a threat. Members of Congress looked at the intelligence, and 
they saw a threat. The United Nations Security Council looked at the 
intelligence, and it saw a threat. 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. 
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

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that choice, I will defend America every time. [Applause] Thank you.
    My opponent admits that Saddam Hussein was a threat. He just didn't 
support my decision to remove Saddam from power. Maybe he was hoping 
Saddam would lose the election in Iraq. [Laughter] We showed the 
dictator and a watching world that America means what it says. Because 
our coalition acted, Saddam's torture chambers are closed. Because we 
acted, Saddam'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 in the cause of terror. This 
coalition of killers is trying to shake our will. They don't understand 
America. America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins. We 
are aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq. We're on the 
offensive. We'll defeat them there so we don't have to face them in our 
own country.
    We're calling on other nations to help Iraq to build a free society. 
A free Iraq will make us all more safe. We're standing with the Iraqi 
people as they assume more of their own defense and move toward self-
government. These are not easy tasks, but they are essential tasks. We 
will finish what we have begun. We will win this essential victory in 
the war on terror.
    On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice. 
My opponent says he approves of bold action in the world, but only if 
other countries don't object. [Laughter] I'm all for united action, and 
so are the 34 coalition partners in Iraq right now. Yet America must 
never outsource America's national security decisions to leaders of 
other countries.
    Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. My 
opponent said the war on terror is far less of a military operation and 
far more of an intelligence-gathering, law enforcement operation. I 
disagree. Our Nation followed this approach after the World Trade Center 
was bombed in 1993. The matter was handled in the courts and thought by 
some to be settled. But the terrorists were still training in 
Afghanistan, 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 their 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. These good folks are 
defending our country. They're sacrificing for our security. I've seen 
their great decency and their unselfish courage. I can assure you, 
ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in good hands.
    This Nation is prosperous and 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 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 the 
fair treatment of faith-based groups so they can receive Federal support 
for the 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 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, 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 and try to remake the culture of America 
by court order.

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    We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're changing 
the culture of America 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 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 which you live, you're 
responsible for doing something about it. If you're a CEO in corporate 
America, you have a responsibility to tell 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 would 
like to be loved ourselves.
    For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand 
apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is 
expected of its leaders. This is not one of those times. You and I are 
living in a period when the stakes are high and the challenges are 
difficult, a time when 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. I remember the workers in 
hardhats who were shouting, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the guy 
who pointed at me and said, ``Don't let me down.'' As we all did that 
day, these men and women searching through the rubble took it 
personally. I took it personally. I have a 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 so long ago, some had their doubts about the American 
character, our capacity to meet serious challenges, our capacity to 
serve a cause greater than self-interest. But 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've all 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.
    God bless you all. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 5:52 p.m. at the Shrine Auditorium. In his 
remarks, he referred to Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; Brad Freeman, 
California State finance chairman, Gerald L. Parsky, California State 
chairman, and Mercer Reynolds, national finance chairman, Bush-Cheney 
'04, Inc.; and Bill Simon, former California gubernatorial candidate, 
and his wife, Cindy.