    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 39 (Monday, September 27, 2004)]
    [Pages 2069-2075]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at a Rally in New York City

    September 20, 2004

        The President. Thank you all for coming.
        Audience members. Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!
        The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thank you all for
    coming. So I said to Pataki, try introducing me at the convention. If it
    works out well, you can introduce me here tonight. [Laughter] He gave a
    great introduction at the convention, for which I am grateful. And I
    appreciate his leadership, and I appreciate his friendship.
        I also appreciate the friendship of Rudy. I had the privilege of
    traveling with Rudy in New Mexico. They've even heard of him there.
    [Laughter] And he did a great job. It was a lot of fun. Thanks for
    coming.
        So when I asked Laura to marry me, she said, ``Fine, just so long as
    I never have to give a speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Well, okay, you'll
    never have to give a speech.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that
    promise. The American people got to see a compassionate, strong, kind
    person.
        I want to thank--I also want to thank Libby and Emily Pataki for
    joining us, and Judith Giuliani for joining us as well. I wish Howard
    Mills all the best in his race for the United States Senate. I want to
    thank Lew Eisenberg for his hard work to make this event successful. I
    want to thank Al Hoffman for his hard work. I want to thank my friend
    Mercer Reynolds, Sandy Treadwell, Mike Long. Most of all, I want to
    thank you all for coming. Vito Fossella is here. Where is old Vito?
    Somewhere around here. He's a Congressman. He's a great guy.
        Thanks for coming. My spirits are high. I'm honored you're here. I
    appreciate the support we receive here in the great State of New York.
    And a couple of folks slid across the border from New Jersey and
    Connecticut as well. [Laughter] I'm proud you're here. I'm not much of a
    prognosticator, but things seem to be going awfully well in the three
    States I just mentioned. I'm enjoying myself on the campaign trail.
        We've got a great country, and I love to get out amongst the people.
    Laura and I are traveling a lot. The crowds are huge. Enthusiasm is
    high. We're going to win in November.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. Thank you all. I'm ready for the stretch run. I know
    where I want to lead the country. I look forward to telling the people
    what I believe. I believe that schools can do a better job of teaching
    our children. Listen, I went to Washington to challenge this practice of
    just shuffling kids through schools year after year, grade after

    [[Page 2070]]

    grade. It's what I call challenging the soft bigotry of low
    expectations.
        We've raised the bar. We've increased funding. But in return, we're
    now saying, ``Why don't you measure early so we can correct problems
    early, before they're too late.'' And the achievement gap in America is
    closing, and we're not going to turn around. We're not going to go
    backwards. We're going to stay on this path to excellence for every
    child, por cada nino, por cada nino.
        I went to Washington to fix problems. I believed that we needed to
    fix Medicare. You know, medicine has changed; Medicare hadn't. We would
    pay $100,000 for heart surgery but not a dime for prescription drugs
    that might prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first
    place. We used to call it ``Mediscare,'' because politicians were afraid
    to talk about it. I'm not afraid to take on the tough issue. We've
    modernized Medicare. Our seniors are going to get prescription drug
    coverage in 2006, and we're not going to turn back.
        I believe the role of Government is not to create wealth but an
    environment in which the entrepreneurs can flourish. I believe that good
    Government policy unleashes the innovation and energy of our farmers,
    ranchers, small-business owners, dreamers, doers. And that's why we
    unleashed that energy with the largest tax cut in a generation.
        Listen, we've been through a lot when it comes to this economy. I
    don't need to tell people in New York what it's been like. We had a
    recession. We had some corporate citizens forget what it means to be
    responsible citizens, and they didn't tell the truth. That affected our
    economy, by the way. We passed laws that now say, ``We're not going to
    tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America, pure and simple.'' The
    attacks on this city hurt us. They say we lost about a million jobs in
    the 3 months after September the 11th, but we've overcome these
    obstacles. This economy of ours is growing at a rate as fast as any in
    nearly 20 years. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which is
    lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Over the past
    year, 47 of the 50 States have added jobs, including the great State of
    New York. This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger.
        A President's most solemn duty is to protect the American people.
    And here's what I believe: I believe if we show any uncertainty or
    weakness in this decade, this world will drift toward tragedy. This will
    not happen on my watch.
        I've got a clear and positive plan to build a safer world and more
    hopeful America. I'm running with what I call a compassionate
    conservative philosophy that Government should help people improve their
    lives, not try to run their lives.
        I also understand the world in which we live is changing. Listen,
    the workforce has changed. Years ago, a man would be the worker, and he
    would have one job, one career, and receive one pension plan, one health
    care plan, and that was it. This world we live in is really different.
    People change careers and jobs. Women are working both inside and
    outside the house.
        And yet the fundamental institutions of our Government have not
    changed with the times. Think about it: The retirement systems haven't
    changed; the health care systems haven't changed; the Tax Code hasn't
    changed; worker training hasn't changed. I'm running for 4 years to
    change the basic systems of Government to reflect the world we live in,
    so people will have a better chance of realizing the great dreams of
    this country.
        Audience member. [Inaudible]
        The President. Vamos a ganar. Mis amigos Latinos estan aqui.
        Audience members. Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!
        The President. I've got some more I've got to say. [Laughter] I'm
    talking about a hopeful world, and you can't be hopeful unless the
    economy grows.
        Audience member. [Inaudible]
        The President. Si. [Laughter] America has got to be the best place
    in the world to do business. If we want jobs to be created here, this
    has got to be the best place in the world.
        So people say, ``What do you mean?'' I'll tell you what I mean: Less
    regulations, legal reform, an energy policy that encourages conservation
    and renewables and uses our technology to change how we consume and use
    energy. But in order to keep jobs here,

    [[Page 2071]]

    we have got to become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
        Trade policy has got to be wise. I tell the people, we've opened up
    our markets for foreign goods, and that's good for consumers. If you've
    got more to choose from, you're going to get the product you want at a
    better price and better quality. So what we're saying to places like
    China, ``You treat us the way we treat you.'' The best trade policy is
    to level the playing field, because we can compete with anybody,
    anytime, anywhere in this world.
        Audience member. [Inaudible]
        The President. Okay. Un momento. [Laughter] Whoo! Only in New York.
    [Laughter] I love this city. What a great place--tremendous diversity.
    Un momento. [Laughter]
        I've got to talk about taxes. [Laughter] Let me tell you something,
    if we want the economy to grow, we've got to keep the taxes low. This is
    an issue in this campaign. The guy I'm running against says, ``Well,
    I've got $2.2 trillion of new spending, and I'm going to pay for it by
    taxing the rich.'' First of all, you can't raise enough money by taxing
    the rich. Secondly, by running up the top two brackets, you're hurting
    every S-corp and every limited partnership in America that's creating
    most of the new jobs in this country. Thirdly, the American people don't
    buy that, because they understand people hire lawyers and accountants
    for a reason--[laughter]--to stick them with the tab. [Laughter] He's
    not going to tax the American people, because we're going to win in
    November.
        A couple of other things about a changing world. Listen, there's a
    skills gap in America. We've got communities where jobs have left, and
    there are new jobs being created. And so what we've got to do is fill
    that skills gap through good policy, Pell grants for community colleges.
    We've got great ideas to make sure people have the skills necessary to
    fill the jobs of the 21st century. Two out of--one out of every--two out
    of every four jobs are created--require a college degree. And yet, one
    in four of the students gets there. It's a problem. That's why I'm for
    remedial education in high schools. I believe over time we've got to
    have rigorous exams before they graduate. I want to expand Pell grants
    so more people start their careers with a college diploma.
        The health care system is an issue. We've got an issue in health
    care in this country. And there's a great philosophical divide. The guy
    I'm running against, Senator Kerry, wants to nationalize health care. He
    wants the bureaucrats to make the decisions for the doctors and
    patients.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. Exactly what he's for. For example, he wants to crowd
    out small businesses--health insurance for small businesses by raising
    Medicare, putting more people on Medicaid. That's just bad policy, in my
    judgment. The best way to deal with health care is to make sure the poor
    have got health care at places like community health centers, is to
    expand the children's health insurance programs to take care of low-
    income families that need help, is to expand health savings accounts, is
    to promote association health care plans so small businesses can pool
    risk, get insurance at the same rate that big businesses get.
        I'll tell you what else needs to happen, we've got to stop these
    frivolous lawsuits that are running good docs out of business. It's an
    issue in this campaign. Everywhere I go, people that understand the high
    cost of medicine occurs because of these frivolous lawsuits. They also
    understand they're having trouble finding good docs. You talk to what
    it's like--to people what it's like to be an ob-gyn here in America
    these days. Many young pregnant moms are having troubling finding an ob-
    gyn. They travel miles to get the help they need. I don't think you can
    be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. I
    think you have to make a choice. I think you've got to make a choice,
    and I made my choice. I'm standing with the docs, and I'm standing with
    the patients. I am for medical liability reform--now.
        I'm going to talk about Social Security in this campaign. I'm going
    to remind the seniors who are on Social Security, you're fine. You don't
    have to worry. The trust has got you taken care of. Baby boomers like me
    are fine when it comes to Social Security. But we need to be worrying
    about our children and grandchildren. That's who we need to

    [[Page 2072]]

    be worrying about when it comes to retirement. I believe younger workers
    ought to take some of their tax money and set it aside as personal
    savings accounts so Social Security meets the promise for them, an
    account they call their own, an account they can pass on to whomever
    they want, and an account the Government can't take away.
        I also will tell you, in times of change, things shouldn't change,
    courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. I believe in a culture
    of life in which everybody matters and every person counts. I believe in
    family and marriage, which are the foundations of our society. And I'm
    going to stand for the appointment of Federal judges who know the
    difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the
    law.
        This election will also determine how we respond to terrorism, and
    terrorism is a continuing danger. You know, since September the 11th, we
    have been on the offense, and we'll stay on the offense. We're pursuing
    these terrorists around the world, not for pride, not for power, but
    because the lives of our citizens depend on it.
        We've got a clear strategy. We're going to defend the homeland. I
    appreciate the first-responders in this great city. You know what I'm
    talking about when it comes to defending the homeland. Police and
    firefighters and EMS squads of New York City are fabulous people. We're
    transforming our military. We're strengthening the intelligence
    services. We're staying on the offensive. We will strike the terrorists
    abroad so we do not have to face them here in America. And we'll work to
    advance liberty in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere, and we're going
    to prevail. We'll prevail. If we're steadfast, if we're steady, if we're
    strong, we'll prevail.
        I--our strategy is working. Just think about this. Four years ago,
    Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point
    for terrorist killers; 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 plotted
    and planned for death and destruction. Today, because we acted, because
    the United States has led, Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is
    capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests on
    Al Qaida leadership; Libya is dismantling its weapons programs; Iraq now
    has a free army, which is fighting for its freedom; and more than three-
    quarters of Al Qaida's known leaders and associates have been brought to
    justice.
        Progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and some
    tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a
    sworn enemy of America. He was firing weapons at American pilots, which
    were enforcing the world's sanctions. He harbored terrorists. Abu Nidal
    was a cold-blooded terrorist killer who killed Leon Klinghoffer. Abu
    Nidal and his organization was in Iraq. Zarqawi, the person who likes to
    behead people in order to shake our will, was in Baghdad. He had a
    network of people in that country.
        Saddam Hussein paid the families of suicide bombers. Saddam Hussein
    possessed and used weapons of mass destruction. He was a threat. We had
    been to war with him once. He was hoping the world would turn away and
    not watch him. I went to Congress and said to Congress, ``We see a
    threat.'' And I went to Congress because after September the 11th, our
    Nation must think differently. We must take threats seriously before
    they fully materialize. Prior to September the 11th, we would see a
    threat, and say, ``Well, it may come to hurt us or may not. We can deal
    with it if we want, or we can ignore it.'' No longer do we have the
    luxury of doing that in this country. It is essential that this country
    never forget that lesson.
        So with that in mind, I went to Congress. They looked at the same
    intelligence I looked at. They remembered the same history I remembered,
    and they concluded that Saddam Hussein was a threat. And they authorized
    the use of force. Now, before a President ever uses force, he ought to
    try all options in order to deal with the threat. Listen, committing
    troops into harm's way is, by far, the toughest decision I'll ever have
    to make, and it's a serious decision. And I was hoping that diplomacy
    would work. So I went to the United Nations. They looked at the same
    intelligence. They concluded, 15 to nothing, that Saddam Hussein must
    disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.

    [[Page 2073]]

        I believe when a President speaks, he must mean what he says. And I
    believe when an international body speaks, it must mean what they say.
    Saddam Hussein--he ignored the resolution, just as he had for over a
    decade. He was hoping the world would forget him. He was hoping we would
    grow tired and weary. But we weren't growing tired and weary, because we
    remember the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. He also systematically
    deceived the inspectors.
        So I have a choice to make at this point in time. Diplomacy had
    failed. He had been given his choice, his last option to listen to the
    demands of the free world. He ignored that option. So I have a choice:
    Do I forget the lessons of September the 11th and take the word of
    Saddam Hussein, or take action to defend this country? Given that
    choice, I will defend our country every time.
        Listen, I thought we would find stockpiles of weapons. Everybody
    did. But Saddam still had the capability of making weapons, and he could
    have passed that capability on to a terrorist enemy. And that's a risk
    we could not afford to take. Knowing what I know today, I would have
    made the same decision. And our country is better off with Saddam
    Hussein sitting in a prison cell. And as a result of defending
    ourselves, as a result of defending ourselves, 50 million people are
    free.
        Think about what's happening in Afghanistan. Listen, 3 years ago,
    Afghanistan was a place where many young girls couldn't go to school
    because the Taliban were so backward and so barbaric. And their moms
    were pulled out in the public square and whipped and sometimes killed in
    a sports stadium because they wouldn't toe the line of these people that
    have only the darkest of visions. Today, 10 million citizens, 41 percent
    of whom are women, have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential
    election in Afghanistan. It's unbelievable. It's powerful. What a
    powerful, powerful statement.
        Think about that. There were people who said, ``Oh, well, maybe some
    people don't want to be free in this world.'' Forget it. People long to
    be free. People from all religions long to be free, from all walks of
    life, and a free Afghanistan will make us safer.
        Iraq--it's tough work in Iraq right now. These killers cannot stand
    the thought of a free society emerging in Iraq. They understand the
    stakes. And so do I. They understand a free society in Iraq will be a--
    stand in stark contrast to their ideology of hate, and it scares them,
    and therefore, they're willing to kill innocent people. And it's tough
    work. It's tough work. But Prime Minister Allawi, with whom I'll be
    meeting tomorrow, and who the country will get to see on TV, is one
    strong man who believes that Iraq will be free, who believes in the
    hopes and aspirations of the Iraqi people. There's going to be national
    elections in January in Iraq. Think about how far that country has come
    since the days of mass graves and torture.
        Remember I told the story at the convention of the seven guys
    walking in who had had their hands cut off--seven Iraqi men came to the
    Oval Office. First of all, walking in the Oval Office is not easy. It's
    a powerful place. These guys walk in there, and they're overwhelmed by
    the environment. I was overwhelmed by them. They'd come to America to
    get new hands put on. Fantastic story, to think about the contrast in
    societies. They--and I talked to them--they longed for freedom. Let me
    tell you something, when you build a free society, the institutions will
    be bigger than the people, and no longer will a dictator be able to cut
    off your hand just because he feels like it.
        We'll stand with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq. When this
    country gives its word, it will keep its word. And our strategy is
    clear--our strategy is clear. We're going to train the Iraqis and the
    Afghan citizens so they can defend themselves. And that's what we're
    doing, so they can do the hard work.
        Audience member. [Inaudible]
        The President. Gracias. [Laughter] She kind of shook me there for a
    minute--[laughter]--just as I was getting to the strategy. [Laughter]
    We're going to train the troops. We're going to put them on the path to
    stability and democracy, and as quickly as we can, our troops will come
    home with the honor they earned.
        We've got a great military, by the way. I can't tell you how proud I
    am. We're going to support them. We'll support those in our military. We
    have a duty in this country to support those we put in harm's way.
    That's why, a year ago, I went to the Congress and

    [[Page 2074]]

    asked for $87 billion of supplemental funding. And it was vital funding.
    This was not only for folks in Iraq. This was for troops in Afghanistan
    as well. And the support was strong for that piece of legislation,
    because most people in the Congress understood how vital it was. Only 12
    Senators voted against it, 2 of whom are my opponent and his
    runningmate. [Laughter]
        And when you're out there campaigning, remind them, four people
    voted to authorize the--four Senators voted to authorize the use of
    force and not fund our troops. Two of those were my opponent and his
    runningmate.
        So they said to him, ``Why?'' And he said, ``I actually did vote for
    the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] You know what
    else? They kept pressing him, and he said finally, ``The whole thing is
    a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing complicated about
    supporting the men and women in the uniform.
        The President of the United States must speak clearly and mean what
    he says. In order for this world to be peaceful, we must mean what we
    say. And it's important not to send mixed signals around the world.
    Today my opponent continued his pattern of twisting in the wind, with
    new contradictions on old positions in Iraq. He woke up this morning and
    now decided, ``No, we shouldn't have invaded Iraq.'' [Laughter] After,
    last month, saying he would still have voted for using force, knowing
    everything we know today. He believes our national security would be
    stronger with Saddam Hussein in power, not in prison.
        Today he said, and I quote, ``We have traded a dictator for a chaos
    that has left America less secure.'' Direct quote.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. I--anyway. [Laughter] You cannot--it's hard to
    imagine a candidate running for President who prefers the stability of a
    dictatorship to the hope and security of democracy. If I might, I'd like
    to read a quote he said last December: ``Those who doubted whether Iraq
    or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein and those who
    believe we are not safer with his capture, don't have the judgment to be
    President or the credibility to be elected President.'' I couldn't have
    put it better.
        I look forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Allawi. It's an
    important meeting, because I'm going to remind him, so long as I'm the
    President, we're going to stand with the people of Iraq. It's in our
    interests that we do so. I believe in the transformational power of
    liberty. I believe that it's possible to take a society that was so
    hopeless because of the tyranny that they have been through and
    encourage them through democracy that they'll become strong allies in
    the war on terror. That's what I believe.
        I believe that--I believe in the power of liberty because I have
    worked closely with Prime Minister Koizumi, who I also will be working
    with today. Think about this for a minute. When you hear the skeptics
    and doubters talk about our policies, think about the fact that I sit
    down with the Prime Minister of Japan as a friend. Now, it wasn't all
    that long ago that my dad and your dads and grandfathers were fighting
    the Japanese as a sworn enemy. And after that war was over, fortunately,
    Harry Truman and other American citizens believe that liberty could
    transform an enemy into an ally and work with Japan to develop a
    Japanese style democracy.
        And as a result of that faith in the power of liberty, today I sit
    down with Prime Minister Koizumi--tomorrow I'll actually sit down with
    him--and talk about keeping the peace, talking about the peace that we
    all yearn for. Liberty is powerful.
        Someday, an American President is going to be sitting down with the
    duly elected leader of Iraq talking about the peace. People who are
    desperate for hope will be looking at the Iraq model and saying,
    ``That's possible for me.'' The Palestinians will realize that their
    failed leadership, the leadership that has failed them for decades, must
    change, in order for them to have a hopeful, peaceful life.
        No, liberty is powerful. It will serve as the beacon. These are
    historic times. In the short term, we'll defend ourselves by staying on
    the offense. In the long term, we'll work to spread liberty. And I
    believe people yearn to be free. Freedom is not America's gift to the
    world. Freedom is the Almighty God's

    [[Page 2075]]

    gift to each man and woman in this world. That's what I believe.
        This young century will be liberty century. We're going to reform
    the systems of Government so people will be free to be able to realize
    their dreams, to be able to achieve the great hope of this country.
    We're going to continue to lead the world for freedom and peace.
        I want to tell you, I assure you that I'll never forget the day that
    Rudy and George and I were in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It was
    September the 14th, 2001. It's a day that--that day might as well have
    happened yesterday as far as I'm concerned. It is still so vivid in my
    memory, particularly the workers in the hardhats screaming at all of us,
    particularly me, I think, ``Whatever it takes.'' That's what they were
    yelling at the top of their lungs. We did our best to console people, to
    hug people, to cry with people, to thank people for their work. A guy
    looked me right in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Since
    that day, I wake up every morning trying to figure out how best to
    protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever
    it takes. [Applause]
        Finally--un momento. Por fin, uno mas te dije. When I campaigned in
    New York and around the country, I said, if you gave me the honor of
    serving as the President, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of
    the office. With your help and thanks to your contributions tonight, I
    will continue to do so for 4 more years.
        God bless. Thanks for coming. On to victory. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 6:02 p.m. at the Sheraton Hotel of New
    York. In his remarks, he referred to Gov. George E. Pataki of New York,
    his wife, Elizabeth ``Libby,'' and their daughter Emily; former Mayor
    Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, and his wife, Judith; Howard
    Mills, senatorial candidate in New York; Al Hoffman, finance chairman,
    and Mercer Reynolds, Victory national finance chairman, Republican
    National Committee; Alexander F. ``Sandy'' Treadwell, chairman, New York
    Republican State Committee; Mike Long, chair, Conservative Party of New
    York State; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime
    Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and Prime Minister
    Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.