[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 36 (Monday, September 6, 2004)]
[Pages 1804-1810]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Moosic, Pennsylvania

September 3, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thank you for 
coming. I appreciate so many people getting up so early. Laura and I are 
here to ask for the vote. We're here to let you know that I understand 
there's more to do to make this country a safer place, a stronger place, 
and a better place for every American. So we're here; we're pleased to 
be in Lackawanna County in this beautiful setting. Thanks for having us.
    Before I begin, I do--I do know you'll join me in offering our 
prayers and best wishes to those in the path of the Hurricane Frances. 
There's been some devastation in the State of Florida. There's likely to 
be more devastation. And so I've ordered Federal teams to be in position 
to help the good people of that State, but the best thing we can do here 
is to offer our prayers.
    Audience member. I can't hear you! [Laughter]
    The President. Maybe it's because I gave--maybe it's because I 
talked too much last night, you know. [Laughter] I enjoyed giving that 
speech last night, and I am so proud that your State made my nomination 
official. And with your help, your State of Pennsylvania will be a 
significant reason we are reelected for 4 more years.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Laura set the bar pretty high when she gave her 
speech at the convention. She is--what a great First Lady, a wonderful 
mom, a terrific wife. Listen, I'm going to give you some reasons why I 
think you ought to put me back in, but perhaps the most important one of 
all is so that Laura is First Lady for 4 more years.
    I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. He doesn't have the 
longest and prettiest hair in the race. [Laughter] I didn't pick him for 
his hair. I picked him for his judgment, experience, and because he can 
get the job done.
    I appreciate the fact that Senator Arlen Specter is with us today. 
Put him back in for 6 more years in the Senate. Look who is next to him, 
Rick Santorum, United States Senator. Congressman Don Sherwood is here 
as well. I appreciate you being here, Congressman--good man.
    Mayor Lou Barletta is with us from Hazelton, Pennsylvania. Hey, Lou, 
fill the potholes. [Laughter] I appreciate David Wenzel, the former 
mayor of Scranton, who is with us here today. David, thank you for 
coming. My friend Bill Scranton is with us here. I appreciate him 
coming. I want to thank all the candidates who are here.
    I want to thank my friend Mark Chesnutt. He's great, isn't he? Bubba 
Shot the Jukebox. He's from Beaumont, Texas, and I appreciate him 
lending his talent to come. I hope you enjoy him as much as I--I love 
his music.
    Most of all, I want to thank the grassroots activists who are here, 
the people who put up the signs and make the phone calls and encourage 
people to register to vote. See, I think we have a duty in this country 
to vote. In a free land, we have a duty to vote. And I'm asking you to 
register your friends and neighbors to vote. Register Republicans, 
register independents, register discerning Democrats--like Zell Miller 
of Georgia, he's a discerning Democrat--and then kind of head them to 
the poll. And when you get them there, remind them that George Bush and 
Dick Cheney are ready to lead this country for 4 more years.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Now, we're coming down the stretch in this race. We 
got less than 2 months to go. And this is a historic national election. 
It's a time for choosing. It's going to come down to the records we've 
built, the convictions we hold, and the vision that guides us forward. 
Over the next 2 months, I'm looking forward to traveling our country, 
telling people where I intend to lead our country, and telling people 
what I believe.

[[Page 1805]]

    I believe every child can learn in America, and then I believe every 
school must teach. That's why we passed important education reform that 
challenges the soft bigotry of low expectations, that says we must 
measure to determine whether a child can read, and if not, correct 
problems early before they're too late; that says that local folks ought 
to be in charge of the schools. It's a plan--we're making good progress 
across this country, and we're not turning back.
    I believe we have a moral responsibility to our seniors. That's why 
I've worked with Republicans and Democrats to strengthen Medicare. Our 
seniors now get help buying medicine, and soon every senior will be able 
to have coverage for prescription drugs. It doesn't make any sense to 
pay $100,000 for heart surgery and not pay for the medicine to prevent 
the heart surgery from happening in the first place. We're making 
progress in honoring our commitment to our seniors, and we're not 
turning back.
    I believe the role of Government is not to try to create wealth but 
an environment in which the entrepreneur, the small business, the 
farmer, and the rancher can survive. I believe in the spirit and 
innovative power of the American worker, and that is why we unleashed 
the energy of our economy with the largest tax relief in decades.
    Because we acted, our economy is growing again. Because we acted, 
we've overcome recession, scandal, stock market decline, and a terrorist 
attack. This morning, we received jobs report for August, and it shows 
that our economy is strong and getting stronger. We added 144,000 new 
jobs, plus revisions of about 60,000 for the previous month, which means 
we've increased jobs over the last 2 months by over 200,000 jobs. 
Overall, we've added about 1.7 million new jobs since August of '03. The 
unemployment rate is now down to 5.4 percent. That's nearly a full point 
below the rate last summer and below the average of the 1970s, 1980s, 
and 1990s. The unemployment rate in Pennsylvania is 5.3 percent. Our 
growing economy is spreading prosperity and opportunity, and nothing 
will hold us back.
    I will continue to travel our country telling people what I believe, 
and I believe the most solemn duty of the President is to protect the 
American people. If America shows uncertainty and weakness in this 
decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my 
watch.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I am running for President with a clear and positive 
plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm running with 
a compassionate conservative philosophy that says Government should help 
people improve their lives, not try to run their lives. As I travel this 
country, I know that this Nation wants steady, consistent, principled 
leadership, and that is why, with your help, we're going to win 4 more 
years.
    Last night I spent time talking about how the world in which we live 
is changing. Women now work outside the home as well as work inside the 
home. Many people change jobs. It's a changing world, and the role of 
Government is to take the side of our workers and families in a time of 
change. Most of the fundamental systems of today, the Tax Code and 
health coverage and pension plans and worker training, were created for 
the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. I'm running for 4 more years to 
change those fundamental systems so more Americans can realize the great 
promise of our country.
    My plan begins--any good plan begins with making sure our economy 
continues to grow. The global market is expanding and creating new 
markets and new competition. My view is, to create more jobs here in 
America, this has got to be the best place in the world to do business. 
That's why we will expand trade in a fair way. Look, we open up our 
markets, and it's good for you that we do. See, if you have more 
choices, you're likely to get a product you want at a better price and 
higher quality. What I'm saying when it comes to trade to other 
countries is you treat us the way we treat you. We can compete with 
anybody, anywhere, anytime, so long as the playing field is level.
    But we've got to get rid of these junk lawsuits that threaten our 
small-business owners. We've got to trim back needless regulations that 
make it hard for people to employ people. In order to make sure that the 
economy expands, we've got to be wise about how we

[[Page 1806]]

spend your money, and we've got to keep your taxes low.
    We have a difference in this campaign on low taxes. I'm running 
against a fellow who has promised over $2 trillion of new spending so 
far.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Yes. And we're just coming down the stretch. By the 
way, 2 trillion is a lot of money to promise, even for a Senator from 
Massachusetts. And now they said--so they asked him, ``How are you going 
to pay for it?'' And he said, ``Well, I'll pay for it all by taxing the 
rich.'' Two things wrong with that: One is you can't raise enough money 
by so-called taxing the rich to pay for his promises, which means 
somebody else is going to get stuck with the bill. But the other thing 
is, you've heard that rhetoric before, haven't you?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Yes, tax the rich. You know what that means. They 
dodge; you pay. But we're not going to let him, because we're going to 
win in November.
    A drag in our economy is the Federal Tax Code, which is a 
complicated mess. You know, it is filled with special interest 
loopholes. Our people spend 6 billion hours of paperwork and headache 
every year. The American people deserve and our economic future depends 
on a simpler, fairer, progrowth Tax Code. In a second term, I will lead 
a bipartisan effort to reform and simplify the Federal taxes.
    I'll tell you what else we need to do. We need to help our workers 
train for the new jobs of the 21st century. In a changing world, the 
jobs change, and oftentimes, there's a skills gap. And so we're going to 
make sure our community college system works better for our workers. 
We're going to provide more money to help workers gain the skills 
necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century.
    Most new jobs are filled by people with at least 2 years of college, 
and yet only about one in four of our students gets there. And so in our 
high schools, we'll fund early intervention programs to help students at 
risk. We will place a new focus on math and science. Over time, we will 
require exit exams from high school because we want the high school 
diploma to mean something. By raising performance in the high schools 
and by expanding Pell grants for low- and middle-income families, we 
will help more Americans start their career with a college diploma.
    There's more to do to make sure quality health care is available and 
affordable. More than one half of the uninsured in America are small-
business employees and their families. In order to make sure small 
businesses can afford health care, we must allow small firms to join 
together to purchase insurance at the discounts available to big 
companies.
    We will help small businesses and low-income Americans set up and 
purchase health savings accounts. In a new term, I will ensure that 
every poor county in America has got community health centers to make 
sure that people get preventative and primary care, not in the emergency 
rooms of America but in these clinics for low-income Americans. In all 
we do, we'll make sure that the health decisions are made by doctors and 
patient, not by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
    I want to talk about a national issue that is of concern to millions 
here in Pennsylvania. Too many good doctors, too many really fine 
healers are being forced out of practice because of the high cost of 
junk lawsuits. You cannot be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-
plaintiff-attorney at the same time. You have to choose. My opponent 
made his choice, and he put him on the ticket.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I made my choice. I'm standing with the docs and 
patients. We want medical liability reform--now.
    Let me give you a quick story about what I'm talking about. I'm 
telling you, this is a national problem that requires a national 
solution. And there is a clear difference in this campaign on this 
issue. Today I met with Dr. Neal Davis from Carbondale. [Applause] He 
told all his patients to come--[laughter]--and Mary Coar, one of his 
patients. I want you to hear this story because it's happening all 
across America.
    Last November, after 15 years of practice in Pennsylvania, Dr. Davis 
learned that his insurance company would no longer insure physicians in 
this State because of the junk lawsuits, because the law system here in 
terms of medicine is like a lottery, is what it's like. It's unfair to 
patients, and it's unfair

[[Page 1807]]

to doctors. It's unfair to taxpayers. He found a new policy, but it said 
he had to give up delivering babies as part of the coverage. That's 
what's happening to ob-gyns all across the country.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. That forced Mary, 4 months pregnant, to start driving 
50 miles each way to see different doctors--a different doctor. When 
Mary's daughter arrived this summer, she was delivered by a doctor Mary 
had never met. She said, ``I started to cry when he told me he was going 
to have to stop delivering.'' This is happening because the legal system 
is gone awry. We need medical liability reform now.
    Another priority for my administration in a new term will be an 
ownership society. See, I believe when you own something, your life is 
more secure; you have more dignity; and you have independence. And so 
we'll help more people own their own homes, own their own health plan, 
and gain the confidence of owning a piece of their retirement. There's 
nothing better in America than somebody opening their door saying, 
``Welcome to my home.'' Today, the homeownership rate in America is at 
an alltime high. We will expand more homeownership over the next 4 
years.
    Listen, we will keep the promise of Social Security for baby boomers 
and older--I happen to be a baby boomer. But younger workers need to 
worry about the fiscal solvency of Social Security. We will strengthen 
Social Security by allowing younger workers to save some of their taxes 
in a personal account, an account they can call their own, and an 
account that Government can never take away.
    In a world of change, there are some things that won't change, the 
values we try to live by, the institutions that give our lives meaning 
and purpose. Because family and work are sources of stability and 
dignity, I support welfare reform that strengthen family and require 
work.
    I support a culture of life in which every person matters and every 
person counts. Because religious charities provide a safety net of mercy 
and compassion, our Government must never discriminate against those 
programs. I support marriage and family, which are the foundations of 
our society. And I will continue to appoint Federal judges who know the 
difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the 
law.
    When he was campaigning out--I think it was in the Midwest, my 
opponent announced he was the candidate of ``conservative values.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Which must have confused a lot of his supporters. 
[Laughter] See, if you say you're--if you say that the heart and soul of 
America is found in Hollywood, I'm not--I'm afraid you're not the 
candidate of conservative values. If you voted against a bipartisan 
Defense of Marriage Act, which my predecessor signed, you are not the 
candidate of conservative values. If you consistently vote against the 
rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment as my opponent has, you are 
not the candidate of conservative values. There is a clear difference of 
philosophy in this race. He is for expanding Government. I am for 
expanding opportunity.
    This election will also determine how America responds to the 
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September 
the 11th, we have fought the terrorists across the globe, not for pride, 
not for power--because the security of our country depends on it. Our 
strategy is clear. We're defending the homeland. I want to thank you for 
helping raise Tom Ridge. He's doing a fine job in the Department of 
Homeland Security. We're transforming our military. We're reforming our 
intelligence services. We will stay on the offensive. We will strike the 
terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. And we 
will continue to work to advance liberty--liberty in the broader Middle 
East--because freedom will bring a future of hope and the peace we all 
want. If America stays strong and resolute and determined, we will 
prevail.
    And our strategy is succeeding. We're making progress. Four years 
ago, Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida. Pakistan was a transit 
point for the terrorist groups. Saudi was fertile ground for terrorist 
fundraising. Libya was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons. Iraq was a 
gathering threat, and Al Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned 
attacks. Now, after we acted, now after the United States led--and many 
have joined--the Government of a free Afghanistan is

[[Page 1808]]

fighting terror. Pakistan is capturing terrorists. Saudi Arabia is 
making raids and arrests. Libya is dismantling its weapons programs. The 
army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom, and more than three-
quarters of Al Qaida's members and associates have been detained or 
killed.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

[At this point, an audience member fainted.]

    The President. Get another doc. Get a doctor.
    This progress involves careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and 
some tough decisions. The toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam 
Hussein's record of aggression and support for terror. We knew his long 
history of pursuing, even using weapons of mass destruction. And we know 
that September the 11th requires our country to think differently. We 
must confront threats before they fully materialize. In Saddam Hussein, 
we saw a threat. Members of both political parties looked at the same 
intelligence, remembered the same history, and came to the same 
conclusion. Saddam Hussein was a threat. My opponent, in 2002, looked at 
the very same intelligence I looked at, and he came the same conclusion. 
See, he was one of the Members of Congress that voted to authorize the 
use of force because Saddam Hussein was a threat.
    The last option for the Commander in Chief is to commit troops, and 
so I went to the United Nations. See, I believe we ought to try 
diplomacy before we commit troops. The United Nations passed a unanimous 
resolution demanding that Saddam Hussein disclose, disarm, or face 
serious consequences. The free world spoke loud and clear. Yet Saddam 
Hussein, as he had for over a decade of diplomacy, ignored the demands 
of the free world. As a matter of fact, when we sent inspectors--or when 
the U.N. sent inspectors in, he systematically deceived the inspectors.
    We gave Saddam Hussein a final chance to meet his responsibility to 
the civilized world. And when he refused, I faced the kind of decision 
that comes only to the Oval Office, a decision no President would ask 
for but must be prepared to make. Do I trust the word of a madman and 
forget the lessons of September the 11th, or take action to defend 
America? Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein 
sitting in a prison cell. Because we acted to defend our country, the 
murderous regimes of Saddam and the Taliban are history. More than 50 
million people now live in freedom.
    Democracy is on the march in a part of the world that is desperate 
for freedom. You realize that over 10 million citizens have registered 
to vote in the upcoming Afghan Presidential elections. It's amazing, 
isn't it? Think about what life was like 3 years ago for the people of 
that country. They were run by a group of barbarians, and today, they're 
showing up in the thousands to exercise their right as free men and 
women.
    In Iraq, there's a strong leader; there's a national council; and 
elections in that country are scheduled in January. See, our Nation is 
standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq because when America 
gives its word, America must keep its word.
    But as importantly, we're serving a vital and historic cause that 
will make our country safer. See, free societies do not export terror. 
Free societies do not feed the resentment of their people. Free 
governments will fight terrorists, instead of harboring them, and that 
helps keep America more secure and the world more peaceful. Our mission 
and goals in Afghanistan and Iraq are clear: We will help new leaders 
train their armies so the Iraq and the Afghan people can defend the 
freedom within their borders. We will get them on the path of stability 
and democracy as quickly as possible, and then our troops will return 
home with the honor they have earned.
    At bases across the country, I've had the privilege of meeting with 
those who defend our country. I've seen their decency and unselfish 
courage. I assure you, the cause of freedom is in really good hands. I 
am proud of our military. They deserve--and I want to thank the vets who 
are here today for having set such a great example for those who wear 
our uniform.

[[Page 1809]]

    I made a commitment to our troops and their loved ones, they'll have 
all the resources they need to do their jobs. That's why I submitted a 
supplemental funding request to the Congress last September for $87 
billion, money needed for fuel and spare parts and body armor and 
equipment, ammunition, hazard pay, health benefits, to support our 
troops in combat in both Iraq and Afghanistan, see. And that proposal 
received bipartisan support, strong bipartisan support, except for 12 
Members from the United States Senate who voted against the funding.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. As a matter of fact, only four United States Senators 
voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against the funding 
for our troops.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Two of those four are my runningmate and his 
opponent.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. So they asked him how could he have done that. He 
said, ``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against 
it.'' Now, we've got some motorcycle drivers here? [Applause] Yes. I 
suspect you guys don't talk that way. They pressed him further, he said 
he was proud of his vote, and then he just said, ``The whole thing was a 
complicated matter''--his words. Here are my words: There's nothing 
complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
    We'll continue to work with nations around the world. We have some 
40 nations in Afghanistan, nearly 30 in Iraq. These are strong, fine 
allies, who are making the same sacrifices we are to send their troops 
to secure the world and make the world more free. During the next 4 
years, I'll continue to build alliances and work with our friends. But I 
will never turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of 
other countries.
    I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The wisest use 
of American strength is to advance freedom. I believe that America is 
called to lead the cause of freedom. You know, I spend time with Prime 
Minister Koizumi of Japan. He's a friend. Not all that long ago, though, 
his country was at war with us. Matter of fact, my dad, I'm sure your 
dad or granddad fought a bloody war against the Japanese. But because my 
predecessor Harry Truman and others believed in the power of liberty to 
transform lives and nations, after World War II, we worked with Japan to 
develop a democracy, and today I sit down at the same table with Prime 
Minister Koizumi to discuss the peace.
    Liberty can change nations from enemies to friends. Liberty will 
change--liberty will help transform Iraq from tyranny to a free and just 
society. Some day an American leader will be sitting down at the table 
with an elected Iraqi leader, saying thank goodness this generation of 
Americans had great faith in the value of liberty, and they will be 
discussing the peace. I believe this because I know that freedom is not 
America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each 
man and woman in this world.
    With the right leadership, this young century will be liberty's 
century. It will be a century of freedom. By promoting freedom at home 
and abroad, we will build a safer world and a more hopeful America.
    For all Americans, these years in our history will stand apart. See, 
there are quiet times in the life of nation when little is expected of 
its leader. This is not one of those times. This is times where we need 
firm resolve and great faith in the values that make us a wonderful 
country.
    None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another 
began. As I mentioned last night, I stood in the ruins of the Twin 
Towers on September the 14th, 2001. It's a day I will never forget. 
There were workers in hardhats there, yelling at the top of their lungs, 
``Whatever it takes.'' I was thanking--I was trying to thank people as 
best as I possibly could. I guy grabbed me by the arm. He looked me in 
the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Every day I wake up 
thinking about how better to protect America. I will never relent in 
defending our country, whatever it takes.
    I am so proud so many came out today. Laura and I thank you for 
coming. When I traveled your State 4 years ago, I made this pledge, that 
if you honored me with the great responsibility of serving the American 
people, I would uphold the dignity and the honor of the office to which 
I had been elected.

[[Page 1810]]

With your help, with your hard work, we will do so for the next 4 years.
    God bless. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 9:35 a.m. at Lackawanna County Stadium. In 
his remarks, he referred to former Lt. Gov. Bill Scranton of 
Pennsylvania; country music entertainer Mark Chesnutt; and Prime 
Minister Ayad al-Alawi of the Iraqi Interim Government. The transcript 
released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included the remarks 
of the First Lady, who introduced the President.