[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 14 (Monday, April 5, 2004)]
[Pages 515-520]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a National Republican Congressional Committee Dinner

April 1, 2004

    Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. Whew! 
[Laughter] Go ahead and have a seat. Thank you. I am honored you all are 
here. I appreciate such a warm welcome. It's good to be with so many 
friends from the NRCC. By ensuring that we have a Republican majority in 
the House, you're helping our confident and hopeful agenda; that's what 
you're doing. You've had great success in the last couple of years. And 
all of us who represent the people are grateful for your hard work.
    As a former House candidate--[laughter]--I have tremendous respect 
for anybody who runs for the Congress. My campaign back in 1978 in the 
19th Congressional District didn't turn out the way I hoped. As a matter 
of fact, walking in here, I saw the guy who beat me. [Laughter] There he 
is. [Laughter] I had a great time, though. It was really an interesting 
campaign. I was campaigning right after Laura and I got married, so it 
was like an extended honeymoon. [Laughter] We learned a lot about each 
other as we drove across west Texas. Laura likes to say I even convinced 
her to vote for me. [Laughter] Unfortunately, I didn't convince enough 
people. [Laughter] I put my political career on hold for about 15 years, 
but I like to think things worked out all right.
    This year, I'm looking forward to campaigning with a man who did win 
in his race for the Congress in 1978 and five times after that. Dick 
Cheney was a fine United States Congressman from Wyoming. He was by far 
the best Congressman from Wyoming. [Laughter] Dick Cheney is the finest 
Vice President our Nation has ever had, and I'm proud to have him on the 
ticket with me. When Dick came to Congress, the House held 277 Democrats 
and only 158 Republicans. Things are a lot different today, and the 
country is better off for it.
    Thanks to your generosity and hard work, we have a strong Republican 
majority. And with your help, we intend to increase the Republican 
majority in 2004. Mr. Speaker, I can't tell you what a joy it is to work 
with you. Denny Hastert is solid as a rock. He's a man of his word. He's 
a kind and decent person. He's a man of enormous accomplishment. Denny 
Hastert needs to remain the Speaker of the House of Representatives for 
the good of the country.
    I wasn't Denny's first choice to speak here; Laura was. [Laughter] 
Mr. Speaker, she sends her love to you and to all our friends out here. 
By the way, Laura is a fabulous First Lady for our country.
    I appreciate Congressman Tom Reynolds, the chairman of the NRCC. 
Thank you, Tommy, for your good work. The chairman of the spring dinner 
is Congressman Jerry Lewis from California. Jerry, you did a fabulous 
job. Thank you, sir.
    I'm proud of the job my fellow Texan is doing as the majority leader 
of the House of Representatives, Tom DeLay. He's a great majority 
leader. We enjoy working with the whip, Roy Blunt from Missouri, who is 
doing a good job of counting those votes.
    I see the conference chair is with us tonight, Congresswoman Deborah 
Pryce from Ohio. Thank you for coming. The vice chair, Jack Kingston 
from Georgia, is with us tonight. Jack, thank you. The conference 
secretary, Congressman John Doolittle from California; Congressman Chris 
Cox, the policy chair from California, is with us as well. Thank you, 
Chris.
    And finally, the only other Congressman I'm going to mention tonight 
is my friend

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from Texas. He's about as fine a Congressman as you'll find. I'm proud 
to call him friend, and that's Congressman Ralph Hall.
    I appreciate Angela Pregano-Knight for sharing her talents tonight, 
singing the national anthem. What a beautiful person, and with a great 
voice. And finally, Timmy Kelly is here with us. And Timmy, thanks for 
singing ``God Bless America,'' and I'm glad you're here. Thanks for 
bringing your mom and dad with you as well.
    I finally got an opponent. [Laughter] He's an experienced Senator. 
He's built up quite a record. He's been here in Washington so long, he's 
taken both sides of just about every issue. [Laughter] Senator Kerry 
voted for the PATRIOT Act, for NAFTA, for the No Child Left Behind Act, 
and for the use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes the PATRIOT Act, NAFTA, 
the No Child Left Behind Act, and the liberation of Iraq. He's been on 
both sides of many big issues. If he could find a third side, I'd 
imagine he'd take that one too. [Laughter] Someone asked my opponent why 
he had voted against the $87 billion funding bill to help our troops in 
Iraq. Here's what he said: ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, 
before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] End of quote. [Laughter] Sure 
clears things up, doesn't it? [Laughter]
    What is going to be clear is that the voters have a clear choice 
this year. It's a choice between keeping the tax relief that the 
Congress passed, tax relief that is moving this 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. And I 
look forward to making these choices clear to the American people.
    I'm ready for this campaign. I'll remind the people that working 
with the United States Congress, under Speaker Hastert's leadership, 
we've achieved great things in the past 3 years. I'll also remind them 
that we have a positive vision, a hopeful vision, an optimistic vision 
for the years ahead; a positive vision for winning the war on terror and 
extending peace and freedom throughout the world; a positive vision for 
creating jobs and promoting opportunity and compassion here at home. We 
will leave no doubt where we stand, and we will win on November the 2d 
of this year.
    The last 3 years have brought serious challenges, and working with 
the Congress, we've given serious answers.
    When we came to office, the stock market was in decline and the 
economy was headed into a recession. But we acted. We worked together. 
We delivered historic tax relief, and now our economy is the fastest 
growing of any major industrialized nation in the world.
    We had to confront corporate crimes that cost people their jobs and 
their savings, so we worked with the United States Congress and passed 
strong corporate reforms and made it clear that 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've captured or killed 
many key leaders of the Al Qaida network, and the rest will learn there 
is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American justice.
    Working with the Congress, 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 
over 50 million people, and once again America is proud to lead the 
armies of liberation.
    When the Vice President and I came to Washington, we found a 
military that was underfunded and underappreciated, so we worked with 
this Congress and this leadership to give our military the resources and 
respect they deserve. And today, no one can question the skill and the 
strength and the spirit of the United States military.
    It is the President's job to confront problems, not pass them on to 
future Presidents and future generations. A President needs to step up 
and make the hard decisions and keep his commitments, and that is how I 
will continue to lead our great country.
    Great events will turn on this election. The man who sits in the 
Oval Office and the man who is the Speaker of the House will set the 
course of the war on terror and the direction of our economy. Security 
and the prosperity of America are at stake. The other side hasn't 
offered much in the way of strategies to win the war or policies to 
expand our economy.

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So far, all we hear is partisan anger, loud words. Anger is not an 
agenda for the future of America. We'll take on the big issues with 
optimism and resolve and determination, and we will make it clear that 
we stand ready to lead this Nation for 4 more years.
    A big issue for every family in America is the Federal tax burden. 
Because of the leadership of Denny Hastert and Members of the United 
States Congress, we passed the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan 
was the President. We have left more money in the hands that earned it. 
By spending and investing and helping create new jobs, American people 
have used their money far better than the Federal Government would have.
    Oh, I hear some pessimists around our country, but I'm optimistic 
about our economy. I'm optimistic because we've put good policies in 
place, and I'm optimistic because the entrepreneurial spirit is strong 
and we've got the best workers in the world. Economic growth in the 
second half of 2003 was the fastest in nearly 20 years. Manufacturing 
activity is increasing. Business investment is rising. Disposable income 
is rising. Inflation is low. Mortgage rates are low. Homeownership is at 
the highest rate ever. Job creation is gaining strength. We've added 
over 350,000 new jobs over the last 6 months. The tax relief we passed 
is working.
    My opponent has a different view of tax relief. When we passed an 
increase in the child credit to help families, he voted against it. When 
we reduced the marriage penalty, he voted against it. When we created a 
lower 10-percent bracket for working families, he voted against it. When 
we reduced the tax rate on dividends that many seniors depend on, my 
opponent voted against it. When we gave small businesses a tax incentive 
to expand and to hire new people, he voted against it. When we passed a 
phaseout of the death tax, he voted no. We're beginning to see a pattern 
here. [Laughter]
    Senator Kerry is one of the main opponents of tax relief in the 
United States Congress. But when tax increases are proposed, it's a lot 
easier to get a yes vote out of him. Over the years, he's voted over 350 
times for higher taxes on the American people, including the biggest tax 
increase in American history. He supported higher gas taxes 11 times. He 
favored a tax increase of 50 cents a gallon. That would cost you another 
$5 or more every time you fill up the tank. For that kind of money, he 
at least ought to throw in a car wash. [Laughter]

    My opponent is proposing a lot of new Government spending, about 
$1.7 trillion at last count, and the campaign is just beginning. He says 
he's going to pay for all this by raising the taxes on rich people, but 
he's got a problem. To cover all the new spending, he would need to 
eliminate every single one of the tax reductions we have passed. To pay 
for all his new promises, he'd still have to raise taxes on top of that. 
The marriage penalty would go back up. The child credit would go back 
up. Taxes on small businesses would rise. Even low-income people paying 
at the 10-percent rate would see their taxes go up. It turns out, if you 
have a job, a child, or a dollar to spare, Senator Kerry thinks you're 
rich enough to pay taxes. Fortunately, he's not going to have that 
chance.

    Higher taxes would undermine growth and destroy jobs, just as this 
economy is getting stronger. To help grow the American economy and to 
create more jobs for our citizens, I have a better idea. We should make 
the tax cuts permanent.

    We must do more to keep this economy growing and to create more 
jobs. I'm working hard with the Congress to maintain spending discipline 
in Washington, DC.

    I have a plan to protect small-business owners and employees from 
the frivolous lawsuits that make it hard to create new jobs. The House 
of Representatives has passed good tort reform legislation, thanks to 
the leadership of Speaker Denny Hastert. Q02
    I'm working with the leadership on a plan to control the cost of 
health care and to get people better access through association health 
care plans and tax-free health savings accounts. And the Senate needs to 
follow the lead of the House and pass medical liability reform.Q02
    We need to knock down trade barriers and open up new markets around 
the world for this country's farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs and 
manufacturers.

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    And we need a sound energy strategy. We need an energy plan to 
modernize our electricity system and make this country less dependent on 
foreign sources of energy.
    On every one of these measures, the working people have got an ally 
in the leadership in the Republican Congress.
    You know, my opponent talks about job creation, but he's against 
every one of these job-creating measures. Empty talk about jobs and 
economic isolationism will not get anyone hired. The best way to create 
jobs is to reelect a pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur President and United 
States Congress.
    Our future in the world 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.
    This Nation is strong and confident in the cause of freedom. Today, 
no friend or enemy doubts the word of the United States. 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, and now the dictator sits in a prison cell.
    September the 11th, 2001, taught a lesson I will never forget. It's 
a lesson the Congress must never forget. It's a lesson this country must 
never forget. America must confront threats before they fully 
materialize. In Iraq, my administration looked at the intelligence 
information, and we saw a threat. The 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 take the word of a madman, or take action to defend America. 
Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time.
    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 next Iraqi election. [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, 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. Because we acted, 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. And there's a 
reason why. 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 the United States. America will never 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 Iraq to build a free society, because they 
know what we know: A free Iraq will make the whole world more secure. We 
stand with the Iraqi people, the brave 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, 
and 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 do not object. I'm all for united action, and so are our 
34 coalition partners in Iraq right now. Yet, America must never 
outsource America's national security decisions to the leaders of other 
countries.
    Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. 
Senator Kerry said the

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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. They 
were still plotting in other nations. They were 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.
    Our men and women in the military are taking great risks and doing a 
great job. At bases across our country and the world, I've had the 
privilege of meeting with those who defend our country and sacrifice for 
our security. I've seen their great decency and 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, our families, our schools, our 
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 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, to be exploited, or to be 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 judges who try to remake the values of 
America by court order.
    We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. The culture of 
this country 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 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 a 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 a nation when little is 
expected of its leaders. These are not one of those times. You and I are 
living in a period when the stakes are high, the challenges are 
difficult, 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 will never forget that day. Workers in hardhats were shouting, 
``Whatever it takes.'' One guy 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. 
[Applause] Thank you all.
    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 a serious challenge, or our willingness 
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

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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 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 and hope through 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.

Note: The President spoke at 7:08 p.m. at the Washington Hilton.