[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 36 (Monday, September 6, 2004)]
[Pages 1784-1790]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at the Farm Progress Show in Alleman, Iowa

August 31, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for coming. It's great to be back in 
the great State of Iowa. As you can see, I'm traveling in pretty good 
company. Speaking about people who gave a great speech last night, John 
McCain did exactly what I hoped he would do, which is set the message 
straight about our record in fighting this war on terror. I'm proud to 
call John a friend. He is, in fact, a hero, as Glen said, and he's a 
great United States Senator from the State of Arizona. Thanks for 
coming, John. I'm proud to be with you.
    It's good to be here at the Farm Show. You know, some people think 
you can find the heart and soul of America in Hollywood. I think you 
find it right here in Iowa, and I appreciate you coming out to say 
hello.
    I wish Laura were here. She's getting ready. She's warming up for 
her speech tonight. [Laughter] She's getting ready to talk to the 
Nation, and I'm glad she is. She's a great mom, a wonderful wife, and 
she's a great First Lady for this country. I'm really proud of her--
really proud of her. I'm going to be talking to you today about why I 
think you ought to put me in there for 4 more years. But perhaps the 
most important reason of all is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 
more years.
    I want to thank my friend Glen Keppy. He's the chairman of the 
Farmers for Bush campaign here in this great State. It's a vital 
position because you got a lot of farmers here. [Laughter] He's a good 
man. He's been a friend for a long time. I said, ``Would you help me get 
out and get my message out in the ag community?'' He said, ``You bet.'' 
He said, ``Why don't you come over here to the Farm Show. Maybe a couple 
of people will show up and say hello.'' I'm glad you're here, Glen, and 
thank you for putting this on. I want to thank all the people who have 
organized this great event.
    I appreciate Karen Nussle is here. She's the wife of my friend 
Congressman Jim Nussle.
    I'm sorry Senator Grassley is not here. He's a good one. I enjoy 
working with him. We're getting a lot done together for Iowa, and I 
appreciate working with Chuck. I remember campaigning in your State a 
lot. Every time I'd go with him he'd say, ``Oh, Farmer Jones lives 
here,'' and then you'd go down the road about another mile, and he'd 
know the name of that farmer; then he'd know the name of that farmer's 
wife. He probably knows everyone here names too. [Laughter] That's 
because he loves his State. He's doing a fine job.
    I appreciate the mayor, Mayor Bodenstiner, for being here. Mayor, I 
appreciate you coming. I think the only thing I'd suggest is you make 
sure you fill the potholes. [Laughter] I appreciate you, though, Mr. 
Mayor. Thanks for your service.
    I know my friend Stew Iverson is here, of the State senate. I know 
we've got a lot of local officials and State officials here. Thank you 
for serving, and thank you for coming.
    There's members of the ex-Governors club here. I'm one of those 
members. Terry Branstad and Bob Ray are with us, and I'm honored they 
are here--fine friends and great people.
    My friend Stan Thompson is running for the United States Congress, 
and I hope you give him a good look. He's a good fellow.
    Jan Lyons, president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, 
is with us. They have given me their endorsement. I am honored to be 
endorsed by the Cattlemen of the United States of America. Got the corn 
growers represented here by Len Corzine. I appreciate Len coming. I 
appreciate all the corn growers being here too, by the way. Ron Heck, 
the chairman of the American Soybean Association, is with us. I 
appreciate Ron coming. I want to thank Keith Berry, whose pork people 
are here, pork grower--hog raisers--[laughter]--Pork Producers Council. 
I want to thank Craig Lang, who is the President of the Iowa Farm 
Bureau.
    Most of all, I want to thank you for coming. I'm here to let you 
know I'm asking for your vote. I believe you got to get out--[applause].
    I got more work to do on behalf of the American people. You know, 
we've got a really good record. We've done a lot in office, and we've 
come through a lot together. But there's only one reason to look back, 
and that

[[Page 1785]]

is to determine who best to lead us forward. I'm here to let you know 
I've got more to do to make this country safer and America a more 
hopeful place, and I'd like your help. I'd like you to go to your 
friends and neighbors and remind them, in a democracy we have a duty to 
vote. In this great country, we have an obligation, in my judgment, as 
citizens to go to the polls. And the first step is to register people.
    So if you don't mind, as we're coming down the stretch, why don't 
you find friends and neighbors and say, ``As an--you got an obligation 
as an American to vote, and so, register to vote.'' And then when you're 
heading them to the polls and you get them going our way--[laughter]--
tell them if they want a stronger America, a safer America, and a better 
America, to put Dick Cheney and me back in office.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I'm running with a good man in Vice President Cheney. 
I admit it, he's not the prettiest face on the ticket. [Laughter] I did 
not pick him for his looks. I picked him because of his sound advice, 
his great experience, and because he can get the job done.
    I'm running because we--I know we've got more to do to make our 
public schools the centers of excellence they can be. You know, 3 years 
ago, when we got into office, there was too many of our kids getting 
shuffled through the school, grade after grade, year after year, without 
learning the basics. So we challenged what I call the soft bigotry of 
low expectations. We've raised the bar. We believe in accountability. We 
believe in local control of schools. We're willing to challenge schools 
that will not teach and will not change. Every child in America deserves 
an excellent education.
    I'm running again because I know we've got to do more to make health 
care available and affordable. You might remember that old Medicare 
debate. They called it ``Mediscare.'' People would talk about it, but 
nobody would touch it. I was worried that the Medicare system was not 
fulfilling the promise to our seniors. You know, a senior would go in 
and get a heart operation for $100,000. The Government would pay for it, 
but they wouldn't pay for the prescription drugs that would prevent the 
heart operation from needing to be in the first place.
    So I said to Congress, ``Why don't we come together and make sure 
our seniors have got a modern health care system.'' We got the job done 
when it came to strengthening Medicare for our seniors. And working with 
Chuck Grassley, we've also taken care of our rural hospitals. You know 
what I'm talking about if you live in rural Iowa. You know how the 
system wasn't good for the Iowa hospitals and docs. We corrected the 
problem. We're getting the job done.
    We will continue to expand community health centers for low-income 
Americans. We will expand health savings accounts so families can save 
tax-free for their own health care needs. I understand most people get 
their health insurance through the businesses, and most new jobs are 
created by small businesses. Yet, small businesses are having trouble 
affording health care. We must allow small businesses to join together 
so they can buy insurance at the same discounts that big businesses are 
able to do.
    In order to make sure health care is available and affordable here 
in Iowa, we need to stop these frivolous lawsuits that are running good 
docs out of business and running up the cost of your health care. See, I 
don't think you can be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-plaintiff-
attorney at the same time. I think you have to choose. My opponent made 
his 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 in America, we'll make sure that 
the health decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by 
bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
    I'm running because I know there's more to do to keep this economy 
strong. We've been through a lot together when it came to this economy. 
We've been through a recession. We've been through corporate scandals. 
The terrorist attack hurt our economy.
    And yet, we've got an economy that's growing. We've overcome the 
obstacles. We've overcome them because we've got

[[Page 1786]]

great workers. We've overcome them because we've got great farmers. 
We've overcome those obstacles because the entrepreneurial spirit is 
strong and the small-business sector of this economy is alive and well. 
And I believe we've overcome those obstacles because of well-timed tax 
cuts.
    Our view was, ``If you pay taxes, you ought to get relief.'' We also 
helped our families by raising the child credit. We reduced the marriage 
penalty. I think the Tax Code ought to encourage marriage, not 
discourage marriage. We helped our small businesses. We helped them 
purchase equipment. This time, the check was actually in the mail, too. 
[Laughter]
    Because we acted, our economy has been growing at rates as fast as 
any in nearly 20 years. The national unemployment rate is at 5.5 
percent, which is well below the national average of the 1970s, the 
1980s, and the 1990s. The unemployment rate in your great State is at 
4.4 percent. Our economic recovery plan is working.
    A strong farm economy is good for our Nation's economy, and we have 
a strong farm economy today. We're seeing record exports for farm 
products. Farm income is up. And that means people are making a living 
here in rural Iowa. And that is good for the United States of America, 
and I intend to keep it that way.
    There's more work to be done to make sure this economy grows. I 
submitted an energy plan to the United States Congress. It needs to get 
the energy plan to my desk. The energy plan says, ``We'll work on 
conservation. We'll have clean coal technology. We'll explore for 
natural gas in environmentally friendly ways.'' But it's an energy plan 
that also recognizes the vast potential of corn and soybeans. I believe 
in ethanol, and I believe in biodiesel. See, I think, one of these days, 
with good research, a President is going to be sitting at the desk there 
in the Oval Office; somebody is going to walk in and say, ``Guess what, 
Mr. President. The corn crop is up, and we're less dependent on foreign 
sources of energy.''
    I believe we ought to have wise trade policy in order to make sure 
this economy grows and people can find work here in America. We open up 
our markets for other--to other countries, and that's good for you. You 
see, when you have more product to choose from, you're going to get a--
what you're demanding at a better price and better quality. That's the 
way the market works. So instead of shutting down our markets, we'll 
continue to open up other people's markets. If people treat us the way 
we treat them, we can compete with anybody, anyplace, anywhere in the 
world.
    That's why we've been--I've been out there working to have free 
trade agreements with countries all around the world. It's good for Iowa 
farmers that we're opening up markets. See, I think you can compete with 
any farmer, anyplace, anytime, and all you need is a chance, a level 
playing field. This administration is committed to making sure Iowa farm 
products are sold all over the world.
    Every day is Earth Day when you own your own land. The best 
conservation policy starts with encouraging our farmers and ranchers to 
conserve. That's why I'm such a strong believer in the CRP program. It's 
a good program. It's good for wildlife. It's good for land. It's good 
for the families who make a living off the farm. Right now we have about 
35 million acres of farm land in the program, and I know you know that 
contracts covering roughly two-thirds of the existing land in that 
program are scheduled to expire in 2007 and 2008. To make sure the 
farmlands stay protected, I've directed the Secretary of Agriculture to 
offer early reenrollments and extensions on existing projects, existing 
contracts.
    There's more work to do to make sure this economy continues to grow. 
One thing we got to do, be smart about how we spend your money in 
Washington, DC. And the other thing is to keep your taxes low. The worst 
thing that could happen to our economy right now is to let them run up 
your taxes on you. I'm running against a fellow who's promised over $2 
trillion of new spending, and we still got September and October to go. 
[Laughter]
    So they said, ``How you going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, we're 
just going to tax the rich.'' Now, you've heard that before, haven't 
you? Yes. When you hear them in Washington say ``tax the rich,'' hang on 
to your wallet. [Laughter] But the good news is,

[[Page 1787]]

we're not going to let him tax anybody because we're going to win Iowa 
and win the country in '04.
    We have more to do to wage and win the war on terror. America's 
future depends on our willingness to lead in this world. If America 
shows weakness or uncertainty in this decade, the world will drift 
toward tragedy. This isn't going to happen on my watch.
    The world changed on a 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 and set up cells around the world, including the 
United States. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising democracy. 
Because we acted, over 10 million Afghan citizens have registered to 
vote in the October Presidential elections. Because we acted, many young 
girls go to school for the first time in Afghanistan. Because we acted, 
Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. Because we acted, 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 have 
sent a strong 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 used weapons of 
mass destruction. He harbored terrorists. He invaded his neighbors. He 
funded--he subsidized the families of suicide bombers. Saddam Hussein 
and his henchmen killed 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, this country must deal with threats before 
they fully materialize. One of the lessons of that day is that when we 
see a threat, we can no longer hope for the best. We must deal with 
those threats. We must never forget that lesson, for the security of our 
people.
    So I went to the United States Congress. The Congress looked at the 
same intelligence I had looked at. They remembered the same history of 
Saddam Hussein. They concluded that Saddam Hussein was a threat and 
authorized the use of force. Members of both political parties came to 
that conclusion, including my opponent.
    The last choice of the Commander in Chief is to commit troops into 
combat. We must try all means necessary to deal with threats before they 
fully materialize. So I went to the United Nations. I said, ``Saddam 
Hussein is a threat.'' They looked at the same intelligence, and they 
came to the same conclusion we had come to that Saddam Hussein was a 
threat, and by a 15-to-nothing vote in the U.N. Security Council said 
Saddam Hussein must disclose, disarm, or face serious consequence. The 
world spoke, and the world spoke with one voice.
    But as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein defied the demands 
of the free world. He wasn't about to listen to what the world had said. 
As a matter of fact, when inspectors were sent into Iraq, he 
systematically deceived the inspectors. So I had a choice to make: Do I 
forget the lessons of September the 11th and trust a madman, or take 
action to defend this country. Given that choice, I will defend America 
every time.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. Even though we did not find the stockpiles that we 
all thought were there, Saddam Hussein had the capability to make 
weapons of mass destruction, and he could have passed that capability on 
to his enemies. And that was a risk this country could not afford to 
have taken after September the 11th. Knowing 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.
    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 found another nuance. He now agrees it was the right 
decision to go into Iraq. See, after months of questioning my motives 
and even my credibility, my opponent now agrees with me that even though 
we didn't find the stockpiles we

[[Page 1788]]

thought were there, knowing everything we know today, he would have 
voted to go into Iraq and remove Saddam Hussein from power. And I thank 
him for clearing that up. [Laughter] But I want to caution you, there's 
still a little over 60 days left for him to change his mind again.
    We have more to do. I'm running because I know we have more to do to 
make this country secure. We'll continue to work with our friends and 
allies around the world to aggressively pursue the terrorists and 
foreign fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere. See, you cannot 
talk sense to these people. You cannot negotiate with them. You cannot 
hope for the best. We must pursue them around the world so we do not 
have to face them here at home.
    We are winning this war against these terrorists, and we will win 
this war against these terrorists. In order to do so, America must 
continue to lead the world with confidence and moral clarity. We put 
together a strong coalition to help us defeat these people. There's 
nearly 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30 nations involved in 
Iraq. Over the next 4 years, I will continue to build coalitions so we 
can work together. It's in our interest. We have good, strong 
coalitions. It's in the interest of others that we work together. But I 
will never turn over America's national security decision to leaders of 
other countries.
    We'll keep our commitment to help the people of Afghanistan and 
Iraq. We set a clear goal. Those countries will be peaceful. They'll be 
democratic, and they'll be allies in the war on terror. We'll keep our 
commitment because when America gives its word, America must keep its 
word. We'll keep our commitment because it's in our interest that free 
societies emerge in those countries. Our strategy is clear. We'll 
provide enough security so they can head for elections. And at the same 
time, we'll help Afghans and Iraqis assume the duties necessary for a 
free society to emerge. We're training their troops. We're training 
their police, so they can do the hard work of defeating the few who want 
to deny the hopes and ambitions of the many. Our military will complete 
this mission as quickly as possible so our troops do not stay a day 
longer than necessary.
    Our troops are keeping our commitments around the world. We have got 
a fantastic United States military. I've seen their great decency and 
their unselfish courage. And I have made a pledge to them and their 
loved ones that our Government will support them in their missions. And 
that's why, last September, I went to the United States Congress, while 
our troops were in combat in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and proposed 
supplemental funding to support them in their mission. The legislation 
provided funding for body armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health 
benefits, ammunition, fuel, and spare parts. It was a very important 
piece of legislation and funding. It was necessary. We had great 
bipartisan support. As a matter of fact, the support was so strong that 
only 12 Members of the United States Senate voted against it, 2 of whom 
are my opponent and his runningmate.
    So they said, ``Why did you vote against this vital legislation?'' 
He said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted 
against it.'' I spend a lot of time here in this State. I've never heard 
anybody talk like that in Iowa. [Laughter] They pressed him further, and 
he said, well, he's proud of the vote. And finally, he said it's just a 
complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our 
troops in combat.
    In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We 
will work to change the conditions that give rise to terror, poverty and 
hopelessness and resentment. See, a free and democratic Iraq and a free 
and democratic Afghanistan will serve as powerful examples in a part of 
the world that is desperate for freedom. Free countries do not export 
terror. Free countries provide hope for their people. The best way to 
defeat terror in the long run is to spread liberty around the world.
    I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I've spent time 
sitting at a table with Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. My dad fought 
against the Japanese; your dads fought against the Japanese. But because 
we believed in--liberty could transform people, after World War II, my 
predecessor and many in this country worked with Japan to become a self-
governing, democratic nation. And so when you hear me talk about the

[[Page 1789]]

transformational power of liberty, think about the fact that I'm talking 
to the head of a former enemy that's now an ally in peace. When we sit 
around the table, we're talking about how to make the world more 
peaceful. Someday, an elected official from the United States and a duly 
elected leader of Iraq will be talking about how to make the world a 
more peaceful place.
    By serving the ideal of liberty, we're making America more secure. 
And by serving the ideal of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals of 
the American spirit. Freedom is not America's gift to the world. Freedom 
is the Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world.
    We'll continue to work hard to protect you here at home. We've 
created the Department of Homeland Security to better organize our 
Government to deal with the threats of the 21st century. No, there's 
great communication now between the Federal, State, and local levels. I 
want to thank the first-responders here in the great State of Iowa for 
serving your communities. The FBI and the CIA are talking better. We're 
reorganizing the intelligence-gathering to make sure we get the very 
best information possible to protect the American people.
    We must renew the PATRIOT Act so our law enforcement has the tools 
necessary to defend you against terrorist threat. We must do a better 
job of securing our borders and our ports.
    We're working hard. We're working hard to make this country more 
secure, and we'll continue to press for needed reforms in Washington. 
But it's hard in that city for reform. There's a lot of entrenched 
interests there, a lot of people who like the status quo. It's not 
enough to advocate reform; you have to be able to get the job done.
    So when you're out there gathering up the vote, remind people in 
this great State that when it comes to reforming schools and improving 
education for every child in America, we're getting the job done; that 
when it comes to health care reforms to help rural hospitals in Iowa and 
to help families and seniors, we're getting the job done; and when it 
comes to improving our economy and keeping this ag economy strong in 
America, we're getting the job done; that when it comes to better 
securing this homeland, defeating the terrorists, and spreading freedom 
and peace, we're getting the job done. And remind them, when it comes 
time to choose a President, put somebody back in there who can get the 
job done.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. At my convention speech Thursday--I guess I better 
get home and write it here pretty soon--[laughter]--I'm going to talk 
about the fact we're in a changing world, and the role of Government is 
to help people during a changing world, not to give them orders but to 
stand side by side so people can realize their dreams.
    And one of the ways to do that is to promote an ownership society in 
America. In changing times, if you own something, it provides stability. 
For example, in changing times, if you own and control your own health 
care account, you can take it from job to job. In changing times, it's 
helpful for younger workers to be able to take some of their own money 
and have a personal savings account in Social Security that they can 
call their own. In changing times--by the way, for baby boomers and 
older, we're in good shape in Social Security. Nothing is going to 
change because it's solvent for us. It's the younger workers we need to 
worry about.
    In changing times, we want more people owning their own business, 
owning their own farm, owning a piece of the future of America. In 
changing times, we want more people owning their own home. Do you 
realize the homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high? More 
and more people are owning their own home. I think there's nothing 
better in America than somebody who says, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome 
to my piece of property.'' See, when you own something, you have a vital 
stake in the future of our country.
    In changing times, there's some things that won't change, the 
individual values we try to live by, courage, integrity, and reverence, 
and compassion. Our beliefs in liberty and opportunity and the 
nonnegotiable demands of human dignity won't change. In changing times, 
we'll protect the institutions that give us direction and purpose, our 
families and our schools and our religious congregations.

[[Page 1790]]

    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 matters and every person counts. We stand for judges who 
faithfully interpret the law instead of legislating from the bench.
    We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. You know, the 
culture of our country is changing from one that has 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 a mom or a dad, 
if you're fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you're 
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're responsible for supporting your teachers and 
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 a 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. You know, there's quiet times in the life of this Nation when 
little is expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This 
is a time that requires firm resolve, steadfast purpose, and a deep 
belief in the values that make us a great nation.
    None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another 
began. I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers on September the 14th, 
2001. It's a day I'll never forget. There were workers in hardhats 
yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I 
remember thanking people for their hard work, and a guy grabbed me by 
the arm, and he looked me in the eye with his bloodshot eyes, and he 
said, ``Do not let me down.''
    I have a duty that has gone on since that day. I wake up every 
morning trying to best determine how to protect our country. I will 
never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
    We've come through a lot together. We've done a lot of hard work. 
There's more to be done to make sure our schools reach their full 
potential. There's more to be done to spread opportunity to every single 
corner of this country. There's more to be done to pass the values of 
this land on to another generation. There's more to be done to spread 
freedom and peace so our children can grow up in a peaceful world.
    You know, when I campaigned across your State, I said if you gave me 
the honor of holding this office, I would uphold the honor and dignity 
of the office to which I had been elected. With your help, with your 
hard work, I will do so for the next 4 years.
    Thanks for coming, and may God bless. Thank you all very much. God 
bless you all. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 3 p.m. at the Alleman Farm. In his remarks, 
he referred to Glen Keppy, chairman, Iowa Farm Team, Bush-Cheney '04, 
Inc.; Mayor Bill Bodenstiner of Alleman, IA; Iowa State Senator Stewart 
Iverson; former Governors Terry Branstad and Robert D. Ray of Iowa; Stan 
Thompson, candidate for Congress in Iowa's 3d Congressional District; 
Jan Lyons, president, National Cattlemen's Beef Association; Leon 
``Len'' Corzine, first vice president, 2004 Corn Board, National Corn 
Growers Association; Ron Heck, chairman, American Soybean Association; 
Keith Berry, president, board of directors, National Pork Producers 
Council; Craig Lang, president, board of directors, Iowa Farm Bureau; 
Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi, leader of Libya; and Prime Minister 
Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. He also referred to the Conservation Reserve 
Program (CRP), administered by the Farm Service Agency, United States 
Department of Agriculture.