[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 36 (Monday, September 6, 2004)]
[Pages 1773-1780]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Taylor, Michigan

August 30, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. You know 
something--Bo knows Michigan, and he just told me we're going to carry 
this State, and I agree. I want to thank you all for coming. It is great 
to be here in Taylor, Michigan.
    Laura and I are thrilled to be here, home of the WNBA champs; it's 
the home of the NBA champs. More importantly, it's the home of really 
decent people, good, hard-working American citizens, and I'm proud to be 
in your midst. I'm here to ask for your vote.
    That's what we're doing. We're traveling your important State asking 
for the vote. I'm here to tell you I've got some--more to do to make 
this country a safer place and a more hopeful place for every American. 
But perhaps the most important reason to put me back in is so that Laura 
will have 4 more years. I'm proud of her. I love her dearly. She's a 
great mom, a wonderful wife, and a terrific First Lady.
    And I'm proud to be standing by Bo. What a great man Bo Schembechler 
is. He is a strong, honorable citizen of this great State. You know, a 
few weeks ago, when my opponent was campaigning in Ohio, he said, 
``There's nothing better than Buckeye football, period.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Then he came over here to Michigan, and he said, ``I 
just go for Buckeye football.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. It's a good thing Bo wasn't there. Then he remembered 
where he was,

[[Page 1774]]

and he called an audible. [Laughter] He said that the University of 
Michigan was a powerhouse team. You see, I'm running against a fellow 
who is a Washington politician, who has taken both sides of just about 
every issue, and now we can add Big Ten football to that list.
    I'm running with a good man in Dick Cheney, a fine man. He--I admit 
it, he's not the prettiest face in the race. [Laughter] But I didn't 
pick him for his looks. I picked him for his judgment, his experience. I 
picked him because he can get the job done.
    I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here, the 
people that are out putting up the signs and making the phone calls. Not 
only are we here to ask for the vote, we're here to ask for your help. I 
believe we have a duty in this country to vote. I believe all of us have 
an obligation to go to the polls. I'm asking you to register your 
friends and neighbors. Give them a chance to vote. And then when you get 
them headed to the polls--[laughter]--remind them that if they want a 
safer country, a stronger country, and a better country, to put Dick 
Cheney and me back in office.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. In the past few years, we have been through a lot 
together, and we've accomplished a great deal. But there's only one 
reason to look backward at the record, and that is to determine who best 
to lead this Nation forward. I am here to let you know that we have a 
plan to make this a safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm here to 
ask for your vote and your help. You see, there is more to do. There is 
more work to be done.
    We've got more to do to make our public schools the centers of 
excellence we all know they can be. When we came to office 3 years ago, 
too many of our children were being shuffled through school, grade by 
grade, year after year, without learning the basics. I went to 
Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. We're 
reforming our public schools by demanding high standards, 
accountability, and local control of schools. My administration will 
challenge those schools that will not teach and will not change. We want 
no child left behind in America.
    There is more work to be done to maintain this path to excellence. 
We'll make sure there's more math and science in our high school 
classrooms so our kids will be prepared for the jobs of the 21st 
century. We'll make sure technology is in our classrooms. We want a high 
school diploma to mean something. What I'm telling you, after 4 more 
years, a rising generation of Americans will have the skills and 
confidence necessary to realize the great dreams of the American system.
    We got more to do to make sure health care is available and 
affordable. You might remember the old Medicare debate. Campaign after 
campaign, politicians came around and said, ``Oh, we're going to fix 
Medicare.'' But it was called ``Mediscare.'' People didn't want to deal 
with it, but the system was failing our seniors. In order to make sure 
our seniors have got prescription drug coverage, which they will in 
2006, I led the United States Congress to strengthen Medicare, and our 
health care is better for the seniors of this country.
    We've expanded community health centers for low-income Americans. 
We've created health savings accounts so families can save tax-free for 
their own health care needs. There's more work to be done. We'll 
introduce technologies into the health care to hold down costs.
    Most Americans get their health care through their jobs. Most new 
jobs are created by small businesses, and many small businesses are 
having trouble affording health care. The best way to enable American 
families to get health care is to allow small businesses to pool 
resources together so they can buy insurance at the same discount big 
businesses can.
    In order to make sure you've got good health care here in Michigan, 
we need to stop these frivolous lawsuits that are running docs out of 
businesses and raising your costs. See, I don't think you can be pro-
doctor, pro-hospital, pro-patient, and pro-plaintiff-attorney at the 
same time. I think you have to make a choice. My opponent made his

[[Page 1775]]

choice, and he put him on the ticket. [Laughter] I made my choice. I am 
for medical liability reform now. In all we do to improve health care 
here in this country, we will make sure the health decisions are made by 
patients and doctors, not by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
    I'm running because I know we've got more work to do to keep this 
economy growing. You might remember what our economy has been through 
during the last 3\1/2\ years. We've been through a recession. We've been 
through corporate scandals. By the way, it's now clear that we will not 
tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. We've been through the 
terror attack, all of which affected job creation here in America.
    But we're overcoming those obstacles. We're overcoming it because 
we've got great workers in America. We're overcoming them because our 
farmers and ranchers are good at what they do. We're overcoming them 
because the entrepreneurial spirit in this country is strong. We're also 
overcame them because of well-timed tax cuts.
    When it came time to reduce taxes, we did it the fair way. We said, 
``If you're paying taxes, you ought to get relief.'' We raised the child 
credit to help our families. We reduced the marriage penalty. The Tax 
Code sends the wrong message. We ought to be encouraging marriage in 
America, not discouraging marriage. We helped our small businesses. This 
time, the check actually was in the mail.
    Because we acted, our economy has been growing at rates as fast as 
any in nearly 20 years. We've added over 1.5 million jobs since last 
August. The national unemployment rate is down to 5.5 percent, well 
below the national average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
    There is still more work to be done here in Michigan. The recovery 
has lagged here. And so as long as anybody is looking for a job, I'll 
work to make sure the environment for job creation is strong.
    See, in order to make sure jobs are here in America, we need an 
energy policy. We need to become less dependent on foreign sources of 
energy. I submitted a plan to the United States Congress that encourages 
conservation, encourages research on alternative sources of energy, 
encourages the use of coal in environmentally friendly ways, exploring 
for natural gas. But in all we do, we better make sure that we no longer 
have to beg for energy from other parts of the world. This country can 
do a better job.
    We've got to make sure regulations are fair and reasonable on the 
employers of America. To keep jobs here in this country, we need 
reasonable automobile policies. American automobile makers are making 
the cleanest cars and trucks in history. We can do more. My 
administration has worked with manufacturers to set wise fuel efficiency 
standards. We will cut air pollution from diesel vehicles by more than 
90 percent. My opponent has taken a different approach. He's 
consistently supported arbitrary, unfair fuel standards that could cost 
Michigan thousands of jobs and makes our cars less safe.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Now it's campaign time here in this great State, and 
he's shifted into reverse. [Laughter] Says he's not committed to 
drastically increasing efficiency standards. You know, he hasn't sounded 
this confused since he tried to decide if he owns an SUV.
    In order to make sure jobs are here, we want to make sure that we're 
treated fairly around the world. Listen, our markets are open, and 
that's good for Michigan consumers. You've got more choices to choose 
from. You're going to get better price and better quality. What I'm 
saying is, is that we're treating you one way; you treat us the same 
way. We can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long as the 
playing field is level.
    In order to make sure jobs stay here in America, we will expand our 
access to our community colleges so workers are able to gain the skills 
necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. In order to keep jobs 
here in America, we'll be wise about how we spend your money. See, I 
think the Federal Government ought to set priorities and let you keep 
your own money. You can spend your money far better than the Federal 
Government can.
    In order to keep jobs here in America, we've got to keep your taxes 
low. Running up taxes on the American people will hurt this economic 
recovery. We have a difference of opinion in this race. My opponent went

[[Page 1776]]

out there, and he's already promised about $2 trillion in new spending.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. We've still got September and October to go. 
[Laughter] So they said, ``How are you going to pay for it?'' He said, 
``Tax the rich.'' You've heard that before, haven't you? You know what 
that means. The rich dodge, and you pay. But we're not going to let him. 
We're going to carry Michigan and this country in November.
    We have more to do----
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. We have more to do. We've got more to do to wage and 
win the war on terror. Our future depends on our willingness to lead in 
this world. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the 
world will drift toward tragedy. This is not going to happen on my 
watch.
    The world changed on that terrible September morning, and since that 
day, we have changed the world. 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 around the world, including 
our own country. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising democracy. I 
don't know if you know this or not, but over 10 million people have 
registered to vote in the upcoming Afghan Presidential elections. 
Because we acted, many young girls now go to school for the first time 
in Afghanistan. Because we acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on 
terror, 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 our allies sent 
a clear and easy-to-understand 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. He was firing weapons at American 
pilots who were enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and he 
had used weapons of mass destruction. He harbored terrorists. He 
attacked his neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers. 
He and his henchmen murdered thousands of his own citizens. He was a 
source of great instability in the world's most volatile region. I saw a 
threat.
    After September the 11th--one of the lessons of September the 11th, 
an important lesson that this country must never forget, is that we must 
take threats seriously before they fully materialize.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. And so I went to the United States Congress. I said, 
``We see a threat.'' The Congress looked at the same intelligence, 
remembered the same history of Saddam, and concluded that Saddam Hussein 
was a threat and authorized the use of force. My opponent came to the 
same conclusion that Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use 
of force.
    The last option of a President is the use of military. And so, 
therefore, I went to the United Nations in the hopes that we could solve 
this problem diplomatically, that we could deal with this threat through 
diplomatic means. There was a debate in the United Nations, and the 
Security Council of the United Nations voted unanimously to say to 
Saddam Hussein, ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' The 
world spoke with united voice about the threat of Saddam Hussein.
    But as he had over a decade, he chose to defy the demands of the 
free world. He ignored the demands of the free world. As a matter of 
fact, when the U.N. sent inspectors into Iraq, he systematically 
deceived them. So I had a choice to make: either forget the lessons of 
September the 11th and trust the word of a madman, or take action to 
defend this country. Given that choice, I will defend America.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. Even though we did not find the stockpiles we 
expected to find, Saddam had the capability of making weapons and could 
have passed that capability on to the enemy. That was a risk we could 
not afford to take after September the 11th. Given what I know today, I 
would have made the same decision. America and the world are safer with 
Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell.

[[Page 1777]]

    Now, almost 2 years after he voted for the war in Iraq and 7 months 
after switching positions to declare himself the antiwar candidate, my 
opponent has now found a new nuance. He now agrees it was the right 
decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my motives and 
even my credibility, my opponent now agrees with me that even though we 
haven't found the stockpiles we all thought were there, knowing 
everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq and remove 
Saddam Hussein from power. I appreciate the fact that he cleared that 
up. [Laughter] But I do want to remind you, there are still 64 days for 
him to change his mind again.
    I'm running because I know we've got more to do to defend this 
country. We must continue to work with friends and allies around the 
world to aggressively pursue the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq and 
elsewhere. You cannot talk sense to these people. You cannot negotiate 
with them. After September the 11th, you just can't hope for the best. 
We must aggressively pursue them around the world so we do not have to 
face them here at home.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. America will continue to lead the world with 
confidence and moral clarity. We have put together a strong coalition to 
help us defeat the enemy. There are nearly 40 nations involved in 
Afghanistan; some 30 nations are involved in Iraq. During the next 4 
years, we will continue to build on these alliances, call upon our 
friends to work in concert to make us more secure. But I will never turn 
over America's national security decisions to leaders of other 
countries.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. We will keep our commitments to the people of 
Afghanistan and Iraq. We will help them become democratic and peaceful 
societies. It's in our national interest that they do so. These nations 
are now governed by two strong leaders who believe in the aspirations of 
their people. We've got a clear goal in those countries, countries that 
will be allies in the war on terror, countries that are headed down the 
road to democracy.
    Our troops are helping to stabilize those countries. More 
importantly, they're helping to train Afghan citizens and Iraq citizens 
so they can do the hard work, so they can fight off the terrorists, so 
they can realize their dreams of a free society. Our military will 
complete this mission as quickly as possible so our troops do not stay a 
day longer than necessary.
    And we will prevail. One of the reasons we'll prevail is because 
we've got a fantastic United States military. I've seen--I've had the 
privilege of meeting with them around our country and all around the 
world. I've seen their decency and their unselfish courage. I want to 
thank the veterans who are here for setting such a fine example for 
those who wear our uniform.
    I made a commitment to those who wear our uniform and to the loved 
ones of those who wear the uniform, that they will have the resources 
they need to fight and win this war against the terrorists. I went to 
the United States Congress last September and proposed supplemental 
funding to support our troops in their missions in Afghanistan and in 
Iraq. This legislation provided funding for body armor and vital 
equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition, fuel, and spare 
parts. It was necessary funding. We received great bipartisan support 
for the funding request. As a matter of fact, the support was so strong 
that only 12 Members of the United States Senate voted against it----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. ----two of whom are my opponent and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. And so they say--asked him why. He said, ``Well, I 
actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' Then 
they pressed him further, and he said, well, he was proud of his vote. 
Then they pressed him even further, and he said, ``Well, the whole thing 
is a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing complicated about 
supporting our troops in combat.
    In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We 
must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror, poverty and 
hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq, a free and 
peaceful Afghanistan will be powerful examples in a part of

[[Page 1778]]

the world that is desperate for freedom. Free nations do not export 
terror. Free nations listen to the hopes and aspirations of their 
people. By serving the cause of liberty, we're helping others, but we're 
making America more secure. By serving the cause of liberty, we are 
spreading the peace.
    Laura and I were having dinner one evening with the Prime Minister 
of Japan in Tokyo. He's a fellow who's running a country that my dad was 
at war with. So was your dads and granddads. They were the enemy. But 
after World War II, my predecessors and others had this great, deep 
faith that liberty could transform societies, that liberty could convert 
an enemy into a friend. And they stood strong on those values.
    The Prime Minister and I were talking about the peace. We were 
talking about how to work together to make the world a more peaceful 
place. By standing the line for what we believe in, by holding true to 
our values, someday an American President will be sitting down with a 
duly elected leader of Iraq, talking about how to make the world a more 
peaceful place.
    By serving the ideal of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals of 
the American soul. Freedom is not America's gift to the world. Freedom 
is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
    We've got more to do to protect this country. I'm running because I 
understand there's an enemy out there that still lurks. They hate what 
we stand for. You know, we have a difference of opinion on these 
terrorists. My opponent said that going to war with them is actually 
improving their recruiting efforts. I'm sure you've heard that before. I 
believe the logic is upside-down. I think it shows that people don't 
understand the nature of these folks. See, during the 1990s, the 
terrorists were recruiting and training for war with us, long before 
America went to war with them. They don't need an excuse for their 
hatred. You don't create terrorists by fighting back. You defeat the 
terrorists by fighting back.
    There's a lot of really good people at the Federal level and the 
State level and local level who are working hard to protect you. We 
reorganized the homeland defenses into the Department of Homeland 
Security to better communicate, to better respond. We're making needed 
reforms in our intelligence-gathering. It is essential that we renew the 
PATRIOT Act so our law enforcement officials have the tools necessary to 
disrupt the terrorist cells. We're doing more to protect our borders and 
our ports.
    We're working hard, but reform in Washington isn't easy. There's a 
lot of entrenched interests there, a lot of people who say, ``I love the 
status quo.'' It's not enough to advocate reform; you've got to be able 
to get the job done. So when you're out gathering the vote, remind 
people that when it comes to reforming the schools and raising the 
standards and closing the achievement gap, we're getting the job done. 
When it comes to health care reforms to give our families and seniors 
more access and more choices, we're getting the job done. When it comes 
to improving this economy so people can find work, we're getting the job 
done. When it comes to better securing the homeland and defeating the 
terrorists and spreading freedom and peace, we're getting the job done. 
When you're out there campaigning, remind people, when it comes time to 
choose a President, put somebody back in there who can get the job done.
    You know, we're living in exciting times. We really are. But they're 
times of change, and change can be unsettling for American families and 
workers. That's why I believe so strongly in promoting an ownership 
society in America. We want people owning their own health care accounts 
that they can take from job to job. We want people owning their own 
retirement accounts. Listen, baby boomers like me are just fine when it 
comes to Social Security. But for you younger workers out there, look 
carefully at the rhetoric during this campaign. Look carefully at the 
fiscal solvency of the Social Security system. I believe younger workers 
ought to have the option of taking some of their own money and putting 
it in personal savings accounts that they can call their own.
    We want more people owning their own business in America. You know, 
one of the most hopeful statistics at the beginning of the 21st century 
is the homeownership rate is at an alltime high in America. We'll 
continue to promote homeownership in America. I love the fact that 
somebody opens up

[[Page 1779]]

their door to their house and says, ``Welcome to my home. This is my 
piece of property.'' I believe strongly in ownership, because I know if 
you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of the United 
States of America.
    In these changing times of ours, however, there are some things that 
won't change, the individual values we try to live by, courage and 
compassion, reverence and integrity. Our beliefs won't change, in 
liberty and opportunity and the nonnegotiable demands of human dignity. 
During changing times, we must support the institutions that give us 
direction and purpose, our families, our schools, and our religious 
congregations.
    We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are the 
foundations of society. We stand for a culture of life in America, where 
every person counts and every person matters. We stand for judges who 
faithfully interpret the law instead of legislating from the bench.
    We stand for a culture of responsibility in this country. You know, 
the culture is changing from one that had said, ``If it feels good, just 
go ahead and do it,'' and ``If you've got a problem, blame somebody 
else,'' to a culture in which each of us understands we're responsible 
for the decisions we make in life. If you're fortunate enough to be a 
mom or a dad, 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 
supporting your teachers and 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.
    Today I got off Air Force One and met Annie Kaigler. She is--she 
works for the foster grandparent program. She is a volunteer. She takes 
time out of her life to mentor children. She takes time out of her life 
to change America one heart at a time. The strength of this country is 
the hearts and souls of the American people. During the next 4 years, I 
will continue to rally the armies of compassion so this country can be a 
great, hopeful place.
    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. This isn't one of those times. This is a time when we need 
firm resolve, clear vision, and a great belief in the values that make 
us a great country.
    None of us will ever forget that day 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 as 
I was trying to thank people, and he looked me right in the eye, and he 
said, ``Do not let me down.''
    I have a duty that goes on for this country. I wake up every morning 
trying to--how best to secure this country. I will never relent in 
defending America, whatever it takes.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. We have come through much together. We've done a lot 
of hard work, but there's more to do. Over the next 4 years, we'll 
spread ownership and opportunity and hopes throughout every corner of 
this country. We'll pass the enduring values of our country on to a 
young generation. We will continue to spread freedom and peace.
    When I traveled your State 4 years ago, I said if I had the great 
honor of serving the American people as your President, I would uphold 
the honor and the dignity of the office. With your help, with your hard 
work and help, I will do so for the next 4 years.
    May God bless you all. Thank you for coming. Thank you all. Thank 
you all very much.

Note: The President spoke at 6:53 p.m. at Heritage Park. In his remarks, 
he referred to Bo Schembechler, former head coach, University of 
Michigan football team; Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of 
Libya; President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan; Prime Minister Ayad al-
Alawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro 
Koizumi of Japan. The transcript released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary also included the remarks of the First Lady, who introduced 
the President.

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