[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 15 (Monday, April 12, 2004)]
[Pages 545-550]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

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

April 5, 2004

    Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Thank you 
all. Thanks for the warm welcome. Last time I was supposed to be here, 
it wasn't going to be so warm. [Laughter] And I want to thank you for 
your understanding about the mayor telling me not to come. [Laughter] He 
blamed it on the police chief. [Laughter] Actually, it was the right 
call. And I want to thank you all for your patience. Thank you for 
letting me come back.
    I generally try to stay on time. I'm running a little late. I met 
with some special people in order for me to--before I came over here, so 
thanks. There's nothing worse than a politician making people wait. I 
think I've got a pretty good excuse. I met with the family of a fellow 
who was killed in Iraq. It's part of my duty; it's part of my 
obligation. It was an uplifting experience to meet with a family that 
loves their country. I told the dad and the mom and the wife that we'd 
stay the course, we'd do what's right, and their son would not have died 
in vain.
    If you're noticing me working my shoulder a little bit, it's because 
after dinner I've got to go out and deliver a hopping fastball to open 
up the baseball season. I can't run very far--just hope I can throw 60 
foot and 6 inches. [Laughter]
    And the Vice President, by the way, is venturing out to the mound. 
He's been warming up. It turns out we don't need a radar gun on him 
either. [Laughter] Speaking about the Vice President, he's the finest 
Vice President our Nation has ever had. Mother heard me say that and 
said, ``Wait a minute, boy.'' [Laughter]
    I'm sorry Laura's not here. She's with her mother in Midland, Texas. 
We were both raised in Midland. She's helping her mom move out of her--
the home she was raised in. Her mom is getting up in years, and Laura is 
doing her duty as a loyal daughter. Let me just tell you, this is a lady 
who's got her life in perspective. Her faith and her family come first. 
And I love her. She is a fabulous First Lady for the country. She sends 
her love. I'm going to see her tonight in Crawford. We're going to spend 
the Easter time in Crawford. I'm going to be working out at the Western 
White House, as we call it--the Southwestern White House. But I'll give 
her--you her best.
    I appreciate Thompson and Hance. Those boys delivered a fine 
introduction, didn't they? They are silver-tongued devils from--
[laughter]--Charlotte. But I want to thank Ken and Jim for their 
leadership on this event. I'm proud to have you on my team. I appreciate 
you working so hard to make this fundraiser so successful. I appreciate 
Ed McMahan as well for being one of the event chairmen. Thank you for 
your help.
    I remember campaigning here and saying to the people of North 
Carolina that the best choice they had for the United States Senate was 
Elizabeth Dole, that she'd do a great job for the citizens of this 
State. And she has--really proud of the job Elizabeth is doing. She 
works hard. She's well versed on the issues. She's articulate. She's 
making a big difference, a big difference in a short period of time on 
the floor of the Senate. I don't know about the company you're keeping 
there with Senator Faircloth. But--[laughter].
    I appreciate so very much my friend Congressman Cass Ballenger for 
joining us today. Thank you for being here, Cass. Sue Myrick, as well, 
the great congresslady from this part of the world--thank you, Sue, for 
coming.

[[Page 546]]

Congressman Robin Hayes is with us today. Robin, I appreciate your 
friendship.
    And finally, the next United States Senator from the great State of 
North Carolina, Richard Burr. He'll be a good one. And I want him to 
win.
    I appreciate Pat McCrory, the mayor. The mayor's doing a fine job. 
He's a good fellow. I've known him a while, and he's doing a really good 
for the people. I thank all the State and local officials who are here.
    I want to thank my friend Jim Culbertson for his hard work, and Dr. 
Aldona Wos. I want to thank Ferrell Blount. I want to thank Jim Cain. I 
want to thank all my friends for working so hard to make this event a 
successful event.
    I appreciate Teresa Earnhardt being here. Teresa, thank you for 
coming. It's--going to Daytona 500 is--it's a pretty interesting 
experience, if you've never been there. And starting the race is even 
more interesting. It's--I want to thank the Earnhardt family for their--
for being such great Americans.
    I want to thank Ric Flair, professional wrestler. He's with us 
today. Big Ric, I'm proud you're here. Thank you for coming.
    I want to thank the grassroots activists who are here. We won North 
Carolina last time. We're going to win it this time. And I appreciate 
your help.
    And I'm ready for the contest. I just want you to know I'm looking 
forward to it. I'm looking forward to campaigning. I'm looking forward 
to talking about what I intend to do. I'm looking forward to reminding 
people, in the last 3 years we've achieved great things. But most 
importantly, I'm looking forward to reminding people about our positive 
vision, a positive vision to win the war on terror, a positive vision 
for extending peace and freedom throughout the world, a positive vision 
for creating jobs and promoting opportunity and compassion at home. I'll 
leave no doubt where we stand, and we're going to 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 the stock market in decline and 
an economy headed 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 that we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms 
of America.
    We saw grief and war arrive on a quiet September morning, so we have 
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.
    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. 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 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 to pass them on 
to future Presidents or future generations. A President needs to step up 
and make the tough decisions and keep his commitments. And that is how I 
will continue to lead our great Nation.
    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.
    I finally got an opponent. [Laughter] I'm running against an 
experienced Senator who has built up quite a record. In fact, Senator 
Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both sides of just 
about every issue. [Laughter] He 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 so many big issues that 
if he could find a third side, I imagine he'd take it. [Laughter]

[[Page 547]]

    Someone recently asked my opponent why he had voted against the $87-
billion funding bill to help our troops in Iraq. Here's what he said--he 
actually said this, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I 
voted against it.'' [Laughter] End of quote. [Laughter] The President 
must speak clearly.
    We will have a clear choice in the campaign this year, the choice 
between keeping the tax relief that is moving our economy forward or 
putting the burden of higher taxes back on the American people. We'll 
have 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 making that choice very clear.
    The other side hasn't offered much in the way of strategies to win 
the war or policies to expand the economy. 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.
    I look forward to taking on the big issues with optimism and 
resolve. I will make it clear that I 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 the President, we 
have left more money in the hands that earned it. By spending and 
investing and to help create new jobs, the American people have used 
their money far better than the Federal Government would have.
    This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. Economic growth 
is strong. America added 308,000 new jobs in March, the highest monthly 
job growth total in almost 4 years. And since August, our economy has 
added over three-quarter-of-a-million new jobs. The second half of 2003, 
the economy grew at its fastest rate in nearly 20 years. Interest rates 
are low. Mortgage rates are low. Manufacturing activity is on the 
increase. Disposable income is rising. Homeownership is at an alltime 
historic high. The tax relief we passed is working.
    There's a clear difference when it comes to taxes. When we passed 
the tax increase in the child credit to help families, my opponent voted 
against it. When we reduced the marriage penalty, he voted against it. 
When we created a lower 10-percent tax rate for working families, he 
voted against it. When we reduced the tax rate on dividends that many 
seniors depend on, he voted ``no.'' When we gave small businesses tax 
incentives to expand and hire, he voted against it. When we passed a 
phase-out of the death tax, he voted against it. I think there's a 
pattern here. [Laughter]
    When tax increases are proposed, it's a lot easier to get a ``yes'' 
vote out of him. Over the years, he has voted over 350 times for higher 
taxes on the American people, including the biggest tax increase in 
American history. He's supported higher gas taxes 11 times, and once 
favored a tax increase of 50 cents a gallon. That would cost you another 
$5 or more every time you fill up your tank. For that kind of money, he 
ought to at least throw in a free car wash. [Laughter]
    My opponent proposes a lot of new Government spending, about $1.7 
trillion at last count. And the campaign has just barely gotten started. 
He said he's going to pay for it by raising the taxes on the rich 
people. He's got a problem. See, to cover all the new spending, Senator 
Kerry would need to eliminate every single one of the tax reductions 
we've passed, and then he'd still have to raise taxes on top of that. 
The marriage penalty would go up; the child credit would go down; taxes 
on small businesses would rise. It turns out if you have a job, a child, 
or a dollar to spare, Senator Kerry thinks you're rich enough to pay 
more taxes. Fortunately, we're not going to give him that chance. Higher 
taxes now would undermine growth and destroy jobs. To help grow the 
American economy and to create more jobs, I have a better idea: We 
should make all the tax cuts permanent.
    And there is more we can do to make sure we maintain economic 
growth. We need spending discipline in the Nation's Capital. I have a 
plan to protect small-business owners and employees from frivolous and 
junk lawsuits. I have a plan to help control the cost of health care by 
giving people better access to association health plans and tax-free 
health savings accounts. And the Senate must pass medical liability 
reform in order to control the cost of health care.

[[Page 548]]

    Rather than to wall ourselves off from the world, and rather than to 
listen to the economic isolationists, we need to level the playing field 
and open up more markets for North Carolina's farmers and ranchers and 
manufacturers and entrepreneurs.
    In order to make sure this country continues to grow and people can 
find work at home, we need an energy plan that encourages conservation, 
that makes our electricity systems more reliable, that encourages clean 
coal technology, that allows for exploration. This Nation must become 
less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    These are ways to keep jobs here at home and to make sure the job 
base expands. But my opponent is against every one of these job creating 
measures. Empty talk about jobs and economic isolationism will not get 
anybody hired. This country needs to reelect a pro-growth, pro-small-
business, pro-entrepreneur President, George W. Bush.
    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. We still face dangers in North Korea and 
Iran. 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. 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, a 
lesson America 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 United States 
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 I had a choice: either 
take the word of a madman, take the word of a man who had used weapons 
of mass destruction on his own people, or take action to defend America. 
Given 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. Perhaps 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 innocent people than accept the advance of liberty. And there's 
a reason why. They know that a free Iraq will be a major defeat in the 
cause of terror. They hate freedom. They can't stand the thought of a 
free society. And what they're trying to do is they're trying to shake 
our will. They're trying to shake the will of America. America will 
never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.
    We are on the offense. We will stay on the offense. We will 
aggressively strike the terrorists in Iraq. We will defeat them there so 
we do not have to face them in our own country. We're calling on other 
nations to help Iraq build a free society. They understand what we know: 
A free Iraq will make the world more peaceful. And we're standing with 
those brave Iraqi citizens who've endured Saddam Hussein and who now 
long for self-government.

[[Page 549]]

    These aren't easy tasks. I understand that. But they are essential 
tasks. America 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 allow 
our national security decisions to be made by leaders of other 
countries.
    Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all. My 
opponent said this: ``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. 
They were 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 
great work. At bases across our country and the world, I have had the 
privilege of meeting those who defend our country and sacrifice for our 
security. I've seen their great decency and unselfish courage. And I 
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 the 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 
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 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. We're changing 
the culture of this country from one that has said, ``If it feels good, 
do it,'' and ``If you got a problem, blame somebody else,'' to a culture 
in which each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in life. 
If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you are 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 the 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 stand apart. 
There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is expected of 
its leaders. These aren't one of those times. You and I are living in a 
period when the stakes are high, the challenges are difficult, a time 
when firm 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'll never forget the day. There were workers in hardhats 
yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember walking a ropeline, a 
guy said to me, looked me right in the eye and said, ``Don't

[[Page 550]]

let me down.'' As we all did that day, these men and women who were 
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 witness to the character of this 
Nation. Not so long ago, some had their doubts about the American 
character, about our capacity to meet serious challenges or our 
willingness to serve a cause greater than self-interest. Americans gave 
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'll 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 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.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 12:32 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Pat McCrory of Charlotte; 
Darrel Stephens, chief of police, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police 
Department; Ken Thompson and Jim Hance, event cochairmen; North Carolina 
State Representative W. Edwin ``Ed'' McMahan; former Senator Lauch 
Faircloth of North Carolina; Jim Culbertson and Aldona Wos, North 
Carolina State finance chairs, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; Ferrell Blount, 
chairman, and Jim Cain, national committeeman, North Carolina Republican 
Party; and Teresa Earnhardt, chief executive officer and president, Dale 
Earnhardt, Inc.