[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 19 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Pages 794-799]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Republican National Committee Dinner

May 5, 2004

    The President. I'm ready. I'm here to tell you I appreciate your 
support, and I want your vote. I stand ready and eager to lead this 
Nation for 4 more years.
    I've recently come off a bus tour in Michigan and Ohio. The crowds 
were big. The enthusiasm was high. Our support is strong. We're rolling 
on our way to victory in November of 2004.
    There's going to be many turns in this campaign, but this will 
remain constant: I will offer a positive, optimistic, and hopeful vision 
to the American people. I have a plan to win the war on terror and to 
spread peace and freedom throughout the world. I have a plan to help 
create an environment so more jobs are created and every single citizen 
of this country can realize the great promise of our country. I have a 
plan to promote the compassion and spirit of this country, so all 
citizens--all citizens--can realize their dreams.
    I will leave no doubt where I stand. I will leave no doubt that 
after 4 more years, this country will be safer and stronger and better. 
And with this message and with your help, I am confident that Vice 
President Cheney and I will be reelected.
    A good reason to put me back in office is to make sure Laura has 4 
more years as the First Lady.
    Audience member. We love Laura!
    The President. Yes, you love Laura, and I love Laura. [Laughter]

[[Page 795]]

    When you're out there gathering the vote, make sure you tell people 
that I put together a fantastic administration to serve the American 
people, people from all walks of life, people who have come to our 
Nation's Capital to serve the people, not their self-interest. I'm proud 
to be running with a fine Vice President, Dick Cheney.
    And I appreciate the team we put together, starting with the RNC 
chairman, Ed Gillespie. He's a fine guy. I told Ed when he took the job, 
I said I want him reaching out to people from all walks of life. I want 
him to understand our message is so optimistic and hopeful that people, 
regardless of their political party, are going to like what they hear, 
that we've got to keep working with everybody in this country. I 
appreciate the fact that his wife, Cathy, has taken a strong lead in the 
campaign as well. She's working for ``W Stands for Women.''
    I appreciate so very much the leadership that Al Hoffman has 
provided to make sure that the Republican National Committee is well 
funded. I want to thank Ann Wagner as the cochairman. I appreciate my 
friend Mercer Reynolds for being the Victory 2004 finance chairman. He 
got bumped up. He was the finance chairman for Bush-Cheney. He did such 
a good job that we moved him up to the Victory committee.
    I want to thank all my friends who are seated on the stage here for 
working hard. I want to thank you all for coming. As Ed said, this is a 
record night. It wouldn't have happened without you. It's important to 
have enough fuel to make sure that the grassroots are activated as we 
come down the stretch next fall. That's what we're here to talk about.
    I've got some members of my administration here tonight--fine 
Cabinet Secretaries Gale Norton, Ann Veneman, Tommy Thompson, and Spence 
Abraham. These people are doing a superb job on behalf of the American 
citizens, and I'm proud to call them Cabinet members in the Bush 
administration.
    We've got a fantastic Congress right now. We've got great leadership 
in Bill Frist and Speaker Denny Hastert. I'm proud to be working with 
them. I not only want to make sure I find work after November--
[laughter]--but I want them in power too. They made a big difference to 
this country.
    I know that Senator George Allen is with us tonight from the great 
State of Virginia. I know my friend from the great State of Texas, Tom 
DeLay, is with us tonight. Majority Whip Roy Blunt from Missouri is with 
us. I want to thank Roy for being here. Congresswoman Deborah Pryce is 
with us as well, as are many other Members of the United States 
Congress.
    I also want to thank my friend Collin Raye, a fantastic artist who 
has agreed to entertain, and I'm proud that he has come as well.
    These last 3 years have brought serious challenges to this Nation, 
and we have given serious answers to those challenges. When we came to 
office, the stock market was declining, and this economy of ours was 
headed into a recession. But we acted. We delivered historic tax relief 
for the American people, and now our economy is the fastest growing of 
any major industrialized nation.
    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 of the key Al Qaida leaders, and the rest of them will learn this: 
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 liberated over 50 million people. And 
once again, America is proud to stand against tyranny and to set nations 
free.
    When Dick Cheney and I came to office, we found a military that was 
underfunded and underappreciated, so we acted. Along with the Congress, 
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 and future generations. 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.

[[Page 796]]

    I'm running against a tough opponent. We should not take him 
lightly. He's an experienced Senator who has built up quite a record. 
[Laughter] He's been in Washington long enough to take both sides on 
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. My opponent's positions on these issues 
reminded me of a saying we have in Texas about the weather. [Laughter] 
If you don't like it, just wait a few minutes, and it will change. 
[Laughter]
    He has an interesting way of saying things. You know we're both out 
looking for votes and endorsements. As you might know, he claims he 
picked up some important endorsements among foreign leaders. [Laughter] 
He just won't tell us who they are. [Laughter] He did drop a hint a few 
weeks ago on TV. He said, ``What I said is true. I mean, you can go to 
New York City, and you can be in a restaurant, and you can meet a 
foreign leader.'' End quote. [Laughter] I got a hunch this whole thing 
might be a case of mistaken identity. [Laughter] Just because somebody 
has an accent--[laughter]--and a nice suit--[laughter]--and a good 
table--[laughter]--it doesn't make him a foreign leader. [Laughter] 
Whoever these mystery men are, they won't be deciding the election. The 
voters will be deciding the election.
    The voters will have a clear choice in this campaign. It's a choice 
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 in the face of danger.
    You know, thus far in the campaign we haven't heard much in the way 
of strategies from the other side to win the war on terror or to expand 
our economy. So far we've heard bitterness and outbursts instead of calm 
debate. The American people understand that anger is not an agenda for 
the future of America. I will take on the big issues with optimism and 
resolve and determination. And I will make it clear that we stand ready 
to lead this Nation for 4 more years.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. 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 helping to create new jobs, the American 
people have used their money far better than the Government would have.
    The entrepreneurial spirit in this country is strong. The economy 
grew at a strong rate of 4.2 percent in the first quarter. The economic 
growth over the past three quarters has been the fastest in nearly two 
decades. In March, the economy added 308,000 new jobs, the highest 
monthly job growth total in nearly 4 years. Since August, our economy 
has added over three-quarters of a million jobs. Across America, 
manufacturing activity is increasing. Business investment is rising. 
Disposable income is up. Mortgage and interest rates are near historic 
lows. Homeownership is at the highest rate ever. The tax relief, the 
pro-economic stimulus plan we passed is working.
    There's a clear difference in this campaign about taxes. My opponent 
opposed the child--increase in the child credit, reducing the marriage 
penalty. He voted ``no'' when it came to creating a lower 10-percent 
rate for working families. He was against the stimulus package for small 
businesses. Yet, when it comes to increasing taxes, he's got a real 
record. [Laughter] It's a clear record. He's voted over 350 times for 
increased taxes on the American people. He supported higher gas taxes 11 
times. He once favored an increase of 50 cents a gallon at the gas pump 
on the American people. That would cost the average driver $5 or more 
every time you fill up your tank. For that kind of money, you'd think 
he'd throw in a free car wash. [Laughter]
    Campaigns can be dangerous when it comes to spending somebody else's 
money. It's easy to make promises. My opponent, thus far, has promised 
$1.9 trillion of new money, new expenditures. And we're just getting 
started in the campaign. [Laughter] Six months ago, he said he's going 
to pay for it by raising taxes on the rich. But that

[[Page 797]]

wouldn't even get him half the money he needs. He's got what I call a 
``tax gap.'' [Laughter] He needs a lot of money to pay for his promises. 
And given his record, we know where that money will come from. It will 
come from working people in America. It will come from people trying to 
raise their families. It will come from small-business owners. The good 
news: He's not going to have that chance to raise taxes on the American 
people.
    I have a better idea. We must keep taxes low. We should not raise 
taxes on the American people. We must do more to keep this economy 
growing, to create jobs. We need spending discipline here in the 
Nation's Capital. I look forward to working with Congress to bring much-
needed discipline when it comes to spending your money. I have a plan to 
protect small-business owners and employees from frivolous lawsuits and 
needless regulation.
    We must help control the cost of health care by giving people better 
access to affordable health care through association health plans and 
tax-free health savings accounts. Congress needs to pass medical 
liability reform to make sure that costs are lower.
    In order to make sure we're strong, in order to make sure we can 
grow, in order to make sure people can find work, we need an energy 
policy in America, an energy policy that promotes conservation, 
alternative sources of energy, an energy policy that promotes clean coal 
technology, an energy policy that encourages environmentally friendly 
exploration for natural gas. One thing is for certain: We need to become 
less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    In order to make sure we grow and people can find work, this country 
must be confident about our ability to compete in the world. We need to 
knock down trade barriers. We need to open up new markets around the 
world for America's entrepreneurs and farmers and ranchers. Empty talk 
about jobs and economic isolationism will not get anyone hired. The way 
to create jobs is 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. 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 and 
America must never forget: America must confront threats before they 
fully materialize. In my administration, we looked at the intelligence, 
and we saw a threat in Iraq. 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.
    In 2002, the U.N. Security Council yet again demanded a full 
accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs. You see, we all 
understood that he had used weapons of mass destruction before. We 
remembered that he had terrorist ties. We remembered that he attacked 
countries in his neighborhood. We remembered clearly that he paid 
suiciders to go kill innocent Israelis. We remembered the nature of 
Saddam Hussein. But he chose defiance. He defied the demands of the free 
world. So I had a choice to make: Either take the word of a madman, or 
defend this country. 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. 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

[[Page 798]]

like Libya got the message and have voluntarily disarmed. 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 serious and continuing challenges in Iraq. These have 
been tough times for the American people. I understand that. See, we're 
facing illegal militias and remnants of a regime who are joined by 
foreign terrorists. They're trying to take force by power that they 
could never gain by the ballot. They know that a free Iraq will be a 
major defeat in the war on terror. They hate freedom. They can't stand 
the thought of free societies growing up in the Middle East. These 
groups find little support among the Iraqi people, and they will find no 
success in their attempts to shake the will of America. They don't 
understand our country. America will never be intimidated by thugs and 
assassins.
    We have a clear strategy in Iraq. We're working hard to ensure an 
atmosphere of security as Iraqis move toward self-government. We support 
the efforts of local Iraqis to disarm the radicals in their country. We 
stand with those brave souls who want their country to be free and 
peaceful. We made it clear to militias in Najaf and elsewhere to disarm 
or face grave consequences. Our forces are in position. Our forces are 
on the move. Our forces are on the offense. We will enforce order in 
Iraq.
    And as we do so, we will return sovereignty to the people of Iraq on 
a schedule that we agreed to. Like any proud people, Iraqis want to 
manage their own affairs. On June 30th, a sovereign Iraqi interim 
government will take office. We will pass sovereignty. We will stay and 
stand with those people as a free country emerges. These aren't easy 
tasks for our country, but they're essential tasks. America will finish 
what we have begun, and we will win this victory in the war on terror.
    On national security, Americans have a clear choice. My opponent 
says he approves of bold action in the world, but only if other 
countries do not object. [Laughter] I'm for united action. We've put 
together coalitions to help bring the peace in Afghanistan. More than 30 
coalition partners are in Iraq right now. But I will never turn over 
America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
    We have a difference about this war on terror. My opponent said the 
war on terror is far less of a military operation and far more of an 
intelligence-gathering, law enforcement operation.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. 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. Yet, 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.
    Winning this war requires steadfast resolve. Winning this war 
requires clear purpose. Winning this war requires us to give our troops 
the best equipment in the world. That's why I proposed an $87 billion 
supplemental last fall. I want our troops to have the best. My opponent 
voted against that bill, and here's what he said: ``I actually did vote 
for the 87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] The American 
President must speak clearly and mean what he says, if the world is to 
be more peaceful.
    We've got a great military. We've got fantastic men and women 
serving our Nation. They're taking great risks, and they're doing 
excellent work. At bases across our country and the world, I have 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, 
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 the American people. 
We are 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 our religious congregations. This

[[Page 799]]

is a fabulous nation because of the people of this Nation. I'm 
constantly amazed by the generous acts of kindness and decency and 
compassion that take place on a daily basis in our country. We've got 
people mentoring children, feeding the hungry, finding shelter for the 
homeless, providing love for the lonely. And it all happens not because 
of government but because of the compassion of the American people.
    I see the culture of our country changing. It's changing from one 
that has said, ``If it feels good, do it,'' and ``If you've got a 
problem, blame somebody else''--[laughter]--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 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 are 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 loving our neighbor just like we'd 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 isn't one of those times. You and I are 
living in a period when the stakes are high, when 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 14, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. 
It's a day I will never forget. I remember a guy pointed at me and said, 
``Don't let me down.'' Workers in hardhats, policemen, and firefighters 
were shouting, ``Whatever it takes.'' 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 our country, whatever it 
takes.
    In these times, I have also been 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 or 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 
that runs so deep 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.
    I'm running because there's more work to do. 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. We have 
an obligation to work together to make this country safer and stronger 
and better. This is the work that history has set before us. We welcome 
it. And we know that for our great land, the best days lie ahead.
    Thank you for coming. May God bless. Thank you all. Thank you all 
very much.

Note: The President spoke at 7:40 p.m. at the Marriott Wardman Park 
Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to Ed Gillespie, chairman, Republican 
National Committee, and his wife, Cathy; Al Hoffman, finance chairman, 
Ann Wagner, cochair, and Mercer Reynolds, Victory national finance 
chairman, Republican National Committee; country music entertainer 
Collin Raye; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.