[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 30 (Monday, July 26, 2004)]
[Pages 1351-1356]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the President's Dinner

July 21, 2004

    The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. Gosh, 
thanks for the warm welcome. It is really good to be with you all 
tonight. There's nothing like being the President at the President's 
Dinner. [Laughter] And with your help, I look forward to being your 
guest next year as well.
    I want to thank Tom Reynolds, who is my good friend, for his kind 
introduction. I appreciate the organizers of this fantastic dinner. 
Thank you all for coming. We're here for a really good cause, and that 
is to make sure Denny Hastert remains Speaker of the House and Bill 
Frist majority leader of the Senate. It's not only a worthy cause; it is 
an important cause. The stakes of the country depend upon their 
leadership, their continued leadership. Plus, they're really good 
people.
    I'm sorry that Laura is not with me tonight.
    Audience member. Aw-w-w!
    The President. Yes, I know. She is--she's camping. [Laughter] But 
you know something? I am one lucky man that Laura said yes when I asked 
her to marry me. She's a great First Lady. There's a lot of reasons why 
I think I ought to be given 4 more years, but perhaps the most important 
one is so that Laura will be the First Lady for 4 more years.
    I want to thank George Allen and Lamar Alexander for representing 
the Senate at this dinner. Thank you for your strong leadership. And I 
appreciate Bob Ney as well and Tom Reynolds for representing the House 
at the dinner and helping to raise the money. These men did a fine job. 
I also am proud to recognize my fellow Texan, the majority leader of the 
House of Representatives, Tom DeLay. Thank you for coming, sir.
    I appreciate all the dinner hosts who are here at the table. It kind 
of looks like the old politburo--[laughter]--doesn't act like the old 
politburo.
    I want to thank all the Members of the Congress who are here. I'm 
proud to work with you. And thank you for representing our country with 
such dignity and class.
    I want to thank Secretary Ann Veneman, Secretary Elaine Chao, 
Secretary Tommy Thompson, for coming tonight. And thank you for being 
such good Cabinet members in my administration.
    I appreciate John Popper for lending his talents tonight. And I love 
the voice of Sara Evans.
    As we meet tonight, there are a little over 100 days until an 
historic election, and the campaigns are hitting full swing. In recent 
days, I've been in Pennsylvania and Michigan and Minnesota and Wisconsin 
and West Virginia and Iowa and Missouri. Everywhere I go, the crowds are 
big, the enthusiasm is high, the signs are good: We are on our way to 
victory.
    My opponent has been spending some time with his base as well, at a 
recent gala with his Hollywood friends. [Laughter] Evidently, things got 
a little out of hand. My name came up a few times. [Laughter] And now 
the Senator refuses to release a tape of

[[Page 1352]]

that whole enchanted evening. [Laughter] Could be that his friends, whom 
he said conveyed the ``heart and soul of America,'' actually embarrassed 
themselves and the candidate. I have a different theory: You see, the 
tape shows a meeting of all those unnamed foreign leaders that the 
Senator says have endorsed him. [Laughter]
    Now he has a runningmate. Some people say that Senator Edwards was 
chosen in part because of his boyish good looks. After all, People 
Magazine once named John Edwards the sexiest politician. One of my 
administration's great goals for a new term is to get Dick Cheney on 
that list. [Laughter] In the meantime, I value the Vice President's 
experience in Government, his expertise in national security, and his 
sound judgment.
    It's now been 3\1/2\ years since the Vice President and I took 
office. We've faced significant challenges. We have met them head on. I 
believe it's the President's job to confront problems, not to pass them 
on to future Presidents and future generations. Because of our actions, 
America is becoming a safer and stronger and better country.
    Four years ago, our economy was headed into a recession, and the 
stock market was in decline, so we passed historic tax relief for 
families and small businesses. Because we acted, our economy, since last 
summer, has been growing at the fastest rate in nearly 20 years. Because 
we acted, America has added more than 1.5 million new jobs since last 
August. Because we believe in economic freedom and left more money in 
the people's hands, America is a stronger country.
    My opponents look at all this progress and somehow conclude that the 
sky is falling. Whether their message is delivered with a frown or a 
smile, it is the same old pessimism. And to cheer us up, they propose 
higher taxes, more Federal spending, and economic isolationism. But 
that's the surest way to end economic growth and to put Americans out of 
work. This Nation is on a rising path, and with 4 more years, we'll 
achieve more growth, new and higher paying jobs, and greater opportunity 
for all of our citizens.
    Four years ago, too many of our public schools were stuck in a cycle 
of mediocrity and excusemaking, with children often shuffled from grade 
to grade, year after year. So we insisted on high standards and 
accountability, local control of schools. And now, children across 
America are showing real progress in reading and math, and America is 
better for it.
    Four years ago, our Medicare system was falling behind modern 
medicine. Many seniors were not getting the drugs they needed. Because 
we have updated Medicare and passed prescription drug coverage for our 
parents and our grandparents, America is a better place.
    Four years ago, some of the finest, most effective charities in our 
country were viewed with suspicion or even hostility by our Government, 
just because they were faith-based charities. Because we have ended 
discrimination in Government contracting, the armies of compassion are 
transforming more lives in our country, and America is better for it.
    In each of these areas, we are keeping our promises. We are doing 
our duty. Because of our actions, our economy is stronger. Our schools 
are better. Our country is safer. We have turned a corner, and there's 
no turning back. And in the weeks ahead, I will lay out an agenda worthy 
of this advancing and confident country.
    The American economy is creating good jobs. Now we must move forward 
and make America even more job-friendly by keeping taxes low, more job-
friendly by making regulations reasonable and fair and opening up new 
markets around the world. To keep our economy growing, we must pass a 
comprehensive energy plan to make America more energy-independent.
    We will help more Americans get training at our community colleges 
for the jobs of the future. We'll protect workers and entrepreneurs from 
junk lawsuits that threaten to close the doors of too many small 
businesses and factories. You cannot be pro-small-business and pro-
trial-lawyer at the same time. You have to choose. My opponent has made 
his choice, and he put him on the ticket. [Laughter] I've made my 
choice: I will continue to work with Congress to end the junk lawsuits 
that hurt small businesses and threaten jobs all across our country.
    Across America, teachers and parents and principals are now working 
hard to raise the standards at our elementary schools and to

[[Page 1353]]

see that every child can read by the 3d grade. Now we must move forward 
and make certain that our high schools are doing their jobs as well. 
Every high school diploma must mean that our graduates are prepared for 
jobs, for college, and for success.
    The quality of health care in America is one of our great 
achievements. Now we must move forward to expand access to care and to 
keep important health decisions in the hands of patients and doctors, 
not in Government bureaucrats'. We need to make health care more 
affordable by making health insurance available to more Americans, by 
harnessing the power of information technology and by limiting the 
costly and abusive litigation that threatens health care in America. 
America needs medical liability reform. No one has ever been healed by a 
frivolous lawsuit.
    Our country has made a lot of progress in ending dependency on 
Government. Now we must move forward to strengthen work requirements 
that lead people from welfare to stable jobs. We need to encourage 
marriage and the family ties that improve the lives of our children.
    During the next 4 years, we'll help more citizens to own their 
health plan, to own a piece of their retirement, to own their own home 
or their own small business. We'll usher in a new era of ownership in 
America with an agenda to help all our citizens save and build and 
invest, so every person owns a part of the American Dream.
    This broad agenda we will carry into the new term comes from a basic 
conviction: Government should never try to control or dominate the lives 
of our citizens. Yet Government can and should help citizens gain the 
tools to make their own choices and to improve their own lives. When men 
and women have a sound education and the skills to seize new 
opportunities and the security of health care, they will achieve great 
things for themselves and for our Nation. There is no greater force for 
good in the world than the energy of free people.
    Our opponents have a very different agenda. Senator Kerry has spent 
almost 20 years in the Federal Government, and he's concluded that it 
just isn't big enough. [Laughter] He's proposed nearly $2 trillion in 
additional Federal spending, and we're just getting started. But he 
hasn't told us how he plans to pay for it all. I think we can guess. He 
has a history of voting to raise taxes. But we're going to make it clear 
to him that would be the wrong medicine for America's improving economy.
    He and his runningmate consistently oppose reforms that limit the 
power of Washington and place trust in the individual. They share the 
same old Washington mindset: They will give the orders, and you pay the 
bills. But we've gone beyond that way of thinking, and we're not going 
back.
    America's future also depends on our willingness to lead in the 
world. On a September morning, the world changed. And since that day, we 
have changed the world. Before September the 11th, Al Qaida terrorists 
were plotting and moving across borders with little fear. Today, two-
thirds of Al Qaida's known leaders have been captured or killed, and 
America and the world are safer.
    Before September the 11th, the security of the American homeland was 
in grave danger. Our Government was not organized to meet the new 
threat. We transformed our defenses. We created a new Department of 
Homeland Security. We rallied the world to pursue terrorists abroad and 
strengthened our laws to act against terrorists at home. We're using the 
PATRIOT Act to track terrorist activity and break up terror cells. We're 
using intelligence and law enforcement better than ever before. The 
mission of the FBI is now focused on preventing terrorism. In a vast and 
free nation such as ours, it is impossible to guarantee perfect 
security. But I can assure you, many fine professionals in intelligence 
and national security and homeland security and law enforcement are 
working around the clock. They're doing everything they can to protect 
us, and because of their vigilance, America is safer.
    Before September the 11th, Afghanistan served as the home base of Al 
Qaida, which trained and deployed thousands of killers to set up terror 
cells in dozens of countries, including our own. Today, Afghanistan is a 
rising democracy, an ally in the war on terror, and America and the 
world are safer.

[[Page 1354]]

    Before September the 11th, Pakistan was a safe transit point for 
terrorists. Today, Pakistani forces are aggressively helping to round up 
terrorists; they're an ally in the war on terror. America and the world 
is safer.
    Before September the 11th, in Saudi Arabia, terrorists were raising 
money and recruiting and operating with little opposition. Today, the 
Saudi Government is taking the fight to Al Qaida, and America and the 
world are safer.
    Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire 
weapons of mass destruction. Today, because America and allies have sent 
a strong and clear message, the leader of Libya has abandoned his 
pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and America and the world are 
safer.
    Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of 
America. He was defying the world and firing weapons at American pilots 
enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and used weapons of mass 
destruction. He threatened his neighbors. He subsidized the families of 
suicide bombers. He had murdered tens of thousands of his own citizens. 
He was a source of great instability in the world's most volatile 
region. That's why, even before September the 11th, the policy of our 
country was regime change in Iraq. After September the 11th, the risk 
that Saddam Hussein could have used weapons or could have shared his 
capability to produce them with terrorists was simply too great.
    We went to the United States Congress, which overwhelmingly agreed, 
then to the United Nations Security Council, which unanimously demanded 
a full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs. When he again 
refused to comply and continued to systematically deceive the weapons 
inspectors, we made the decision to remove him from power.
    Although we have not found the stockpiles of weapons that our 
intelligence showed would be there, we were right to go into Iraq. With 
Saddam Hussein in prison, America and the world are safer.
    We still have important and difficult work to do. Our immediate task 
is to work with friends and allies around the world to continue 
aggressively pursuing the terrorist and foreign fighters in Afghanistan, 
in Iraq, and elsewhere. You can't talk sense to the terrorists. You 
cannot negotiate with the terrorists. We must engage these enemies in 
Afghanistan and Iraq and around the world so we do not have to face them 
here at home.
    The conditions for success in Afghanistan and Iraq are now coming 
together. These two nations are now governed by strong leaders, 
committed men, people who want peace and freedom for their people. The 
people of Iraq are taking more and more responsibility for their own 
security. They want to live in a free society. Men and women in Iraq 
want their children to grow up in a peaceful world. Schools and 
hospitals are being reopened. Citizens' lives are improving. Both 
nations are on the path to elections.
    The people of those countries can count on America and our 
coalition. When we acted to protect our own security, we also promised 
to help deliver them from tyranny, to restore their sovereignty, to set 
them on the path of democracy. And when America gives its word, America 
keeps its word.
    Over the next 4 years, we will continue to defend our homeland; 
we'll continue to defeat the terrorists abroad. Yet, in the long run, 
our safety requires something more. We must work to change the 
conditions that give rise to terror in the Middle East, the poverty and 
the hopelessness and the resentments that terrorists too often exploit. 
Life in that region will be far more hopeful and peaceful when men and 
women can choose their own leaders, when the people can decide their own 
future.
    A free and peaceful Iraq, a free and peaceful Afghanistan will be 
powerful examples to their neighbors. Free countries do not export 
terror. Free countries do not stifle the dreams of their citizens. By 
serving the ideal of liberty, we are bringing hope to others, and that 
makes America more secure. By serving the ideal of liberty, we also 
serve the deepest ideals of our country. Freedom is not America's gift 
to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman 
in this world.
    Our men and women in the military are serving the cause of freedom. 
They're taking great risks on our behalf. At bases across the country 
and the world, I've had the privilege

[[Page 1355]]

of meeting with those who defend our country and sacrifice for our 
security. I've seen their great decency and their unselfish courage. And 
I assure you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in good 
hands.
    We must make sure our troops have the very best. Last September, 
while our troops were in combat in both Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed 
supplemental funding to support them in their missions. The legislation 
provided funding for body armor and other vital equipment, for hazard 
pay, for health benefits, for ammunition, for fuel, for spare parts for 
our military. In the Senate, only a small, out-of-the-mainstream 
minority of 12 Senators voted against that legislation, and 2 of those 
12 Senators are my opponent and his runningmate.
    Senator Kerry tried to explain his vote by saying, ``I actually did 
vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] End 
quote. Now he's offering different explanations. Last week, Senator 
Kerry said he was proud that he and his runningmate voted against the 
funding for the troops. Then he further said the whole thing is a 
complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our 
troops in combat. Leaders need to stand behind our military and back 
them up 100 percent, and that's what I will do every day that I am your 
President.
    America is leading the world with confidence and moral clarity. We 
put together a strong coalition to help defeat the terrorists. There are 
over 60 nations involved in the Proliferation Security Initiative; 
nearly 40 nations are involved in Afghanistan; some 30 nations involved 
in Iraq. We'll continue to build our alliances. We'll continue to work 
with our friends for the cause of security and peace. But I will never 
turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of other 
nations.
    This Nation is prosperous and strong, yet we need to remember that 
our greatest strength is in the character of our citizens. Our Nation is 
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, our families, our schools, our 
religious congregations. These values and institutions are fundamental 
to our lives; they deserve the respect of our Government.
    We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are the 
foundations of society. We stand for a culture of life in which every 
person counts and every person matters. We stand for judges who strictly 
and faithfully interpret the law, instead of legislating from the bench.
    And we're building a culture of responsibility here 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 father, you are responsible for loving your child with all 
your heart and all your soul. 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're 
responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders and your 
employees. And in a new responsibility society, each of us is 
responsible for loving our neighbors 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 the leaders. This isn't one of those times. 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. It's a day I'll 
never forget. There were workers in hardhats yelling at me, ``Whatever 
it takes.'' A fellow grabbed me by the arm--I can't remember if he was a 
policeman or fireman--and he said, ``Do not 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 our country, whatever it takes.
    In these times, I've also been a witness to the character of this 
Nation. 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

[[Page 1356]]

renewed in our country in the quiet love of neighbor for neighbor. We've 
all seen our Nation unite in common purpose when it mattered most.
    Ladies and gentlemen, we have come through much together. We've done 
the hard work. We've made our Nation better and safer. We've turned the 
corner in extending freedom throughout the world. We're expanding 
opportunity here at home. And now, we move forward with confidence. 
During the next 4 years, we will spread opportunity to every corner of 
this country. We will pass the enduring values of our country to another 
generation. We will continue to lead the cause of freedom and peace, and 
we will prevail.
    May God bless you all. Thank you all very much. God bless our great 
country.

Note: The President spoke at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington Convention 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to entertainers John Popper and Sara 
Evans; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of Libya; and former 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.