[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 41 (Monday, October 11, 2004)]
[Pages 2209-2216]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
New Hampshire

October 1, 2004

    The President. Thanks for coming. I appreciate you all coming. 
Thanks. It's great to be back in the great State of New Hampshire.
    So guess what happened? We pulled up in our entourage, and I opened 
the door. I come bounding in the tent, and Mother's there checking up on 
me. They said--you know, sometimes they say I get a little too blunt, 
reminds me of the time a woman in Texas said, ``Well, you got your 
daddy's eyes and your mother's mouth.'' [Laughter] I love you, Mom. 
Thanks for coming.
    I'm keeping really good company up here on the stage. First, I'm 
proud to be standing with your great United States Senator, Judd Gregg. 
He's as solid as the granite in this State. I know you're going to send 
him back for 6 more years.
    And I'm proud to be in New Hampshire with John McCain. What a fine 
American he is and a good friend. He told me a little something about 
New Hampshire politics--in case you forgot. [Laughter] I didn't. I 
picked up on the lessons and carried the State of New Hampshire in 2000, 
and with your help, we'll carry it again in 2004.
    We had a great debate last night. It highlighted some fundamental 
differences between my opponent and me, differences I believe are 
crucial to our Nation's national security. First of all, there's a big 
difference when it comes to supporting our troops in harm's way. When 
America puts our troops in combat, I believe they deserve the best 
training, the best equipment, the full support of our Government. Last 
night my opponent said our troops deserve better. They certainly deserve 
better than they got from Senator Kerry when he voted to send them to 
war, then voting--voted against funding our troops in combat.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. You may remember his quote when they asked him about 
his vote. He said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87 billion, 
right before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] Not a lot of people in New 
Hampshire talk that way. Last night he said he had made a mistake in how 
he talked about that vote. I don't know if you remember that part of the 
debate or not. I certainly do. But the mistake wasn't what Senator Kerry 
said. The mistake was what Senator Kerry did.
    During the course of this campaign, they kept asking him to explain 
the vote. He said the famous quote. Then he went on and said he was 
proud of his vote. He said, ``The whole thing was a complicated 
matter.'' And earlier this week he gave yet another explanation of his 
vote. He said, ``Well, it was a protest vote.'' [Laughter] Exactly what 
he said, ``protest vote.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. When we put American troops in harm's way, they 
certainly deserve better than to have a candidate for President use them 
as a protest.
    Last night was very revealing. He continued his pattern of confusing 
contradictions. After voting for the war, after saying my decision to 
remove Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, he now said it 
was all a mistake. But asked a logical question, ``Does that mean our 
troops are dying for a mistake,'' he said, ``No.'' You can't have it 
both ways. You can't say it's a mistake and not a mistake. You can't be 
for getting rid of Saddam Hussein when things look good and against it 
when times are difficult. You can't claim terrorists are pouring across 
the border into Iraq yet, at the same time, try to claim that Iraq is 
somehow a diversion from the war on terror. The American President must 
speak clearly, and when he speaks, must mean what he says.

[[Page 2210]]

    The crucial difference between my opponent and me is the most 
important question for voters in this election, and that is: Who can 
lead this war against terror to victory? And here my opponent has a 
fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of this war against terror, 
and he has no plan to win in Iraq. The cornerstone of Senator Kerry's 
plan for Iraq is to convene a summit. That's what he said. Now, look, 
I've been to a lot of summits. [Laughter] Since I've been your 
President, I've been honored to be at summits throughout the world. I've 
never been to a meeting that has deposed a tyrant or brought a terrorist 
to justice. The way to defeat the terrorists is to stay on the offense 
and bring them to justice.
    My opponent last night claims he can work with our allies. Yet he 
said those who are standing with us are not a part of a genuine 
coalition.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. He earlier called them a ``coalition of the coerced 
and bribed'' and dismissed their sacrifices as ``window dressings.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. See, you cannot lead by pushing away the allies who 
are already with us, who are sacrificing along with our soldiers. You 
can't expect any support for a cause you have called a ``mistake,'' a 
``grand diversion,'' or ``the wrong war at the wrong time.'' As I said 
last night, I've been meeting with these leaders around the world. 
Imagine walking into a room, and say, ``Get your sons to sacrifice and 
your daughters to sacrifice for the wrong war at the wrong place at the 
wrong time.'' Imagine. [Laughter] The way to lead this coalition is not 
to be disdainful or dismissive. The way to lead this coalition to 
victory is to be clear about our thinking, grateful for their 
sacrifices, and resolute in our determination to achieve victory.
    Let me say one other thing, one more thing I want to share with you 
about last night's debate. Perhaps it was the most disturbing aspect of 
the debate. Senator Kerry said that America has to pass some sort of 
``global test''----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. ----before we can use our troops to defend ourselves. 
Think about that. He wants our national security decisions subject to 
the approval of a foreign government.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Listen, I'll continue to work with our allies. I'll 
work with the international community, but I will never submit America's 
national security to an international test. The President's job is not 
to take an international poll. The President's job is to defend the 
United States of America.
    Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
    The President. I've come for more reasons than just to talk about 
last night's debate and to see my mother. [Laughter] I have come back to 
New Hampshire to ask for your vote, and I am here to ask for your help. 
I ask you to register your friends and neighbors. I ask you, then, to 
head them to the polls come the voting time. And as you do so, remind 
them if they want a safer America, a stronger America, and a better 
America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
    I'm glad my mother is here, but I really wish Laura were here. What 
a great First Lady. You know, when I asked her to marry me, she said, 
``Fine, just so long as I never have to give a political speech.'' 
[Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you'll never have to give one.'' [Laughter] 
Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. In New York, at our 
convention, America got to see a compassionate, strong, fine First Lady 
in Laura Bush.
    And I'm proud--I'm proud I'm running with Dick Cheney. He's a fine 
man. I concede, he doesn't have the waviest hair in the race. [Laughter] 
I didn't pick him because of his hair. I picked him because of his 
experience, his judgment, and because he can get the job done for the 
American people.
    I want to sing the praises of your other United States Senator, John 
Sununu. You've got two really fine Senators in Judd and John, and I'm 
proud to work with them. They're kind of independent sometimes--
[laughter]--just like the people of New Hampshire.
    I appreciate your Governor, Craig Benson. I hope you put him back 
into office. Thanks for coming, Craig. I appreciate you being here, 
Craig. I'm proud of Congressman Jeb Bradley's work in the United States 
Congress, a fine Member of the House of Representatives. I want to thank 
Ted Gatsas and

[[Page 2211]]

his wife, Cassandra. I want to thank Brian Golden, who's a Democrats for 
Bush member from Massachusetts. I am honored you're here, Brian. Thank 
you for coming.
    I want to thank all the other State and local officials. But most 
importantly, I want to thank the grassroots activists and those who are 
doing the hard work, getting ready to turn out the vote come November.
    I appreciate the Oak Ridge Boys who are here with us today. I'm 
proud to call them friends. And I want to thank Kaleigh Cronin, the 
student from Manchester Central High, who performed the National Anthem. 
I want to thank Manchester Central High School Band for being here 
today. I'll try to keep my speech short so you can get home and do your 
homework. [Laughter]
    Listen, I'm looking forward to this campaign. I like coming here to 
New Hampshire, and I'm coming back. I want to tell the people where I 
stand, what I believe, and where I'll lead this country for the next 4 
years.
    I believe every child can learn and every school must teach. That's 
what I believe. I went to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of 
low expectations. I didn't like the practice of having such low 
expectations that we would shuffle some children through the schools, 
grade after grade, year after year, without teaching them the basics. I 
know we can do better in America. So we changed the law to measure 
early, so we can solve problems. We believe in local control of schools. 
We're closing the achievement gap in America, and we're not going to go 
back to the old days of failed policy.
    I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with 
good health care. See, I went to Washington to fix problems. I saw a 
problem in Medicare. For example, Medicare would pay nearly $100,000 for 
heart surgery but not one dime for the prescription drugs that might 
prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place. That 
wasn't fair to our seniors, and it wasn't fair to the taxpayers. We 
worked with Republicans and Democrats to modernize Medicare. Seniors 
will get prescription drug coverage in 2006, and we're not going back to 
the old days.
    I believe in the energy and innovation and the spirit of America's 
workers, small-business owners, and farmers and ranchers. That's why we 
unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
    I want you to remind your friends and neighbors what this economy 
has been through. The stock market was heading down before Dick Cheney 
and I showed up in Washington. Then we had a recession just as soon as 
we showed up. And then we had some corporate scandals, which affected 
our economy. We passed tough laws. We've made it abundantly clear we 
will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. And then the 
attacks came, of September the 11th, and that affected our economy.
    But because we acted, our economy is growing at rates 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. The 
unemployment rate in the State of New Hampshire is 3.7 percent.
    I believe the most solemn duty of the American 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 America, a safer world, and a more hopeful 
America. I am running with a compassionate conservative philosophy that 
Government should help people improve their lives, not try to run their 
lives. I believe this Nation wants steady, consistent, principled 
leadership and that is why, with your help, we'll carry New Hampshire 
again and win a great victory in November.
    But I understand the world in which we're living is changing. It 
wasn't all that long ago that a person in the workplace would have one 
job and one career, one pension plan, one retirement system, and that 
person was usually a man. The workplace has changed. Think about it. 
People are changing jobs. People are changing careers. Women are working 
inside the house and outside the house in America today. And yet, the 
fundamental systems of our Government, the Tax Code, the pension plans, 
health coverage,

[[Page 2212]]

and worker training, were designed for the world of yesterday, not 
tomorrow. I'm running to transform these systems so that all citizens 
are equipped, prepared, and truly free to be able to make your own 
choices and pursue your own dreams.
    A hopeful country is one that has a growing economy. In order to 
keep jobs here in America, America must be the best place in the world 
to do business. If you want jobs here, this has got to be the best place 
in the world to risk capital. That means less regulations. That means 
legal reform to stop the frivolous lawsuits that are plaguing our 
employers.
    We want to keep this economy growing and have jobs here in America, 
Congress needs to pass my energy plan. It's a plan that encourages 
conservation. It's a plan that spends money to make sure we do a better 
job with renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. It's a plan that uses 
technology to burn coal in clean ways. It's a plan that uses technology 
to explore for natural gas in environmentally friendly ways. It is a 
plan that recognizes this fact: To keep this economy growing, we must be 
less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
    In order to keep jobs here in America, we must open up markets to 
U.S. products. We've opened up our markets for goods from overseas for a 
reason. It's good for our consumers. Think about this. If you've got 
more products to choose from, you're likely to get that which you want 
at a better price. That's how the market works. So rather than falling 
prey to economic isolationism, I'm saying to countries like China and 
elsewhere, ``You treat us the way we treat you.'' I say that because I 
know when the rules are fair, we can compete with anybody, anytime, 
anywhere in the world.
    Finally, to make sure this economy continues to grow, we've got to 
be wise about how we spend your money in Washington, and we've got to 
keep your taxes low. Taxes are an issue in this campaign. I'm running 
against a fellow who lived right south from here. [Laughter] He's so far 
promised $2.2 trillion in new spending. That's a lot, even for a Senator 
from Massachusetts. [Laughter] So they said, ``How are you going to pay 
for it?'' He said, ``That's easy. We're going to tax the rich.'' You've 
heard that before, haven't you?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. About every campaign. The problem with that, there's 
some flawed logic. You can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to 
pay for $2.2 trillion in new spending. There's what I would call a tax 
gap. Guess who gets to fill the tax gap?
    Audience member. We do!
    The President. Yes. I'll tell you something else about the rhetoric 
of taxing the rich. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason, 
so they can avoid the bill and stick you with it. The good news is, 
we're not going to let him tax you. We're going to win in November.
    Speaking about the Tax Code, it's a complicated mess. It's full of 
special interest loopholes. It's a million pages long. Americans spend 6 
billion hours a year filling out their tax forms.* In order to make sure 
this Tax Code is fair and simple, I'm going to call Republicans and 
Democrats together to do something about an antiquated Tax Code that 
needs to be changed.
    * White House correction.
    Listen, we'll help our workers gain the skills of the 21st century. 
In a changing economy, sometimes there's a skills gap. Jobs are 
available, but workers don't have the skills necessary to fill the jobs. 
That's why I'm such a strong believer in the community college system. I 
believe--and I know that most new jobs in a changing economy are filled 
by people with at least 2 years of college, yet one in four of our 
students gets there. In our high schools, we'll fund early intervention 
programs to help at-risk students. We'll emphasize math and science. 
Over time, there ought to be a rigorous exam before graduation. By 
raising performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants for 
low- and middle-income families, more Americans will start their career 
with a college diploma.
    Let me talk about health care. There is a wide, philosophical divide 
when it comes to health care. Let me see if I can summarize it this way. 
My opponent wants the Government to run the health care----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!

[[Page 2213]]

    The President. ----which would lead to high prices and rationing. I 
want you to make the decisions when it comes to health care. I have a 
practical, commonsense way of dealing with health care to make sure it's 
available and affordable. Let me give you some ideas.
    First of all, most of the uninsured work for small businesses. Many 
small businesses are having trouble affording health care. We ought to 
change the law to allow small businesses to pool risk, so they can buy 
insurance at the same discounts big businesses can buy insurance for. 
We'll expand tax-free health savings accounts. We'll give small 
businesses tax credits to pay into health savings accounts for their 
employees. We'll help low-income, uninsured working Americans to afford 
health savings accounts. These are innovative ways to make sure people 
get good health care coverage with catastrophic coverage as well.
    We will expand community health centers to every poor county in 
America so the poor and the indigent can get preventative and primary 
care in places other than emergency rooms of your hospitals. We'll make 
sure poor children are enrolled in our low-income children's programs. 
To make sure health care is available and affordable, we've got to do 
something about these junk lawsuits that are running good docs out of 
practice and running your costs of medicine up. In all we do reform 
health care, we'll make sure the decisions are made by doctors and 
patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
    In changing times, ownership helps bring stability to people's 
lives. The homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high during my 
administration. I love that statistic. Think about it. More and more 
people are opening up the door where they live and saying, ``Welcome to 
my home. Welcome to my piece of property.'' Over the next 4 years, we'll 
expand homeownership to every corner of America.
    And I want to implement a part of ownership into the retirement 
system as well. You might remember some of the rhetoric that took place 
in 2000 when I was running. They said, ``If George W. gets elected, he's 
going to take away your Social Security check.'' I don't know if you 
remember that or not. Well, you still got the check; nothing happened. 
What I'm telling you is, is that when I talk about Social Security 
reform, if you're a senior citizen on Social Security, you don't have to 
worry about your check. That's that same old stale rhetoric that they're 
going to put out every year. You'll get your check. Baby boomers like 
me, we'll probably get our checks, because the Social Security trust is 
that solvent.
    But we need to worry about our children and grandchildren when it 
comes to Social Security. I believe younger workers ought to be able to 
take some of their own money and set up a personal savings account to 
make sure Social Security fulfills its promise, a personal savings 
account you call your own, a personal savings account the Government can 
never take away.
    Listen, in this world of change, there are some things that won't 
change, the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence 
and integrity. In changing times, we'll support the institutions that 
give our lives direction and purpose, our schools, our families, our 
religious congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every 
person matters and every being counts. We stand for marriage and family, 
which are the foundations of our society. And we 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 America responds to continuing 
danger of terrorism. Since 2001--September the 11th, 2001, we have 
fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for pride, not for power, 
but because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is 
clear. We're defending the homeland. We'll transform our military. We'll 
keep the All-Volunteer Army an all-volunteer army.
    Audience member. [Inaudible]
    The President. Yes. We'll strengthen the intelligence services. 
We'll stay on the offensive. We'll defeat the terrorists around the 
Earth so we do not have to face them here at home. We'll continue to 
advance liberty in the broader Middle East and throughout the world, and 
we will prevail.
    Our strategy is succeeding. Think about this: Four years ago, 
Afghanistan was the

[[Page 2214]]

home base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for terrorists; 
Saudi Arabia 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.
    Because we acted, Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is 
capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests; 
Libya is dismantling its weapons programs; the army of a free Iraq is 
fighting terror; and three-quarters of Al Qaida's leadership have been 
brought to justice.
    This progress involved 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 that. I 
want you to remember that he harbored Abu Nidal, the leader of a 
terrorist organization that carried out attacks in Europe and Asia. We 
knew he harbored Abu Abbas, who killed American Leon Klinghoffer because 
of his religion. Zarqawi was in and out of Baghdad. He ordered the 
killing of an American citizen from Baghdad. We knew Saddam Hussein's 
long history of pursuing and using weapons of mass destruction. We knew 
that he would hope the world would turn away and not pay attention to 
him. We also knew that we must think differently after September the 
11th. This country must take threats seriously before they fully 
materialize. That is a lesson we must never forget.
    So I went to the United States Congress. The Congress looked at the 
same intelligence I looked at, remembered the same history I remembered, 
and concluded Saddam Hussein was a threat, and voted to authorize the 
use of force. My opponent looked at the same intelligence I looked at. 
He concluded that Saddam Hussein was a serious threat. He voted ``yes'' 
when it came to the authorization of force. He may not want to admit it 
today.
    Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into harm's way, he 
must try all options, before military options. And so I went to the 
United Nations in hopes that diplomacy would work, in hopes that somehow 
the free world would finally convince Saddam Hussein to listen to the 
demands. The United Nations Security Council debated the issue and voted 
15 to nothing to say to Saddam Hussein, ``Disclose, disarm, or face 
serious consequences.'' I believe that when an international body 
speaks, it must mean what it says, in order to keep this world peaceful. 
Saddam Hussein ignored the demands yet again.
    Last night my opponent said, ``Well, we probably should have''--not 
probably--``We should have taken more time and passed another 
resolution,'' as if number 18 would have convinced him. We sent 
inspectors in--the U.N. did--they were systematically deceived. That's 
what history shows. My opponent said, ``We should have left the 
inspectors in there.'' Why? I don't know. Maybe Saddam could deceived 
them even more. The truth was diplomacy had failed. And so I now have a 
choice to make: Do I take the word of a madman and forget the lessons of 
September the 11th, or take action to defend this country? Given that 
choice, I will defend America every time.
    We didn't find the stockpiles we thought would be there. We didn't 
find the stockpiles everybody thought would be there. But I want you to 
remember, Saddam still had the capability of making weapons of mass 
destruction. He could have passed that capability onto an enemy, and 
that is a risk we could not have afforded to have taken after September 
the 11th. Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same 
decision. And the world is safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison 
cell.
    Because we acted to defend our country, 50 million people now live 
in freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. Remember what it was like in 
Afghanistan some 3 years ago. People were living under the brutal reign 
of the Taliban. These people are--when I talk about ideologues of hate, 
that's what I'm talking about, people just like them. They would not let 
young girls go to school. They'd whip their mothers in the public square 
if they disagreed with their ideology of hate. They executed women in 
sports stadiums. They were barbaric and backwards, and they were 
harboring Al Qaida.
    Today, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror, and 10 million 
people, 41 percent of whom are women, have registered to vote in the 
upcoming October Presidential election. Think about that for a minute. 
This

[[Page 2215]]

country has gone from darkness to light because of freedom, and America 
and the world are better for it.
    In Iraq, we have got a plan to win this war against the terrorists. 
First of all, we've got an ally in the war and a strong leader in Prime 
Minister Allawi. Secondly, there will be national elections in January 
of 2005. We're continuing our reconstruction efforts over the next 
months to help rebuild that country. We'll continue to work with our 
allies and friends. There will be a donors summit in Japan next month. 
There will be a regional conference of neighbor--of countries in the 
neighborhood to work with Iraq. We will continue to train the Iraqis so 
they will do the hard work of defending their country against those who 
want to stop the advance of freedom. That is our strategy. We'll 
implement it as quickly as possible. We'll get this country on the road 
to stability and democracy, and then our troops will come home with the 
honor they have earned.
    I am proud of our United States military, and I want to thank the 
veterans who are here for having set such a great example.
    I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The other night, 
I said, ``I am realistic about what's taking place in Iraq. I understand 
how hard it is. I'm optimistic we will succeed.'' I'm optimistic we'll 
succeed, and one of the main reasons why is because I do believe in the 
transformational power of liberty.
    I'll tell you what I mean by that. Perhaps the best way to explain 
that to you is using this example. One of the leaders I enjoy meeting 
with is Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan--interesting fellow. I told him 
in New York when I saw him, I said, ``Do you mind if I tell the people 
in my country that we've got a good relationship?'' He said, ``Fine.'' I 
didn't tell him I was going to tell you that his favorite singer was 
Elvis--[laughter]--interesting man and a friend.
    Think about this, though, that I sit down and talk to this leader of 
Japan some 60 years after our Nation was at war with them. Sixty years 
isn't very long in the march of history. It's long if you're 58 years 
old. [Laughter] But I want you to think about that for a minute. My dad, 
your dads, your granddads fought against the Japanese, and yet today, I 
now sit down at the table with the Prime Minister.
    See, fortunately, Harry Truman and other citizens of the country 
believed in the transformational power of liberty, that liberty could 
transform an enemy into an ally. And because they overwhelmed the 
skeptics and the doubters, I now sit at the table with a leader of a 
former foe talking about the peace we all want. Someday, an American 
President will be sitting down with a duly elected leader of Iraq, 
talking about keeping the peace. And our children and our grandchildren 
will be better off for it.
    I believe millions in the Middle East plead in silence for their 
liberty. I believe women in the Middle East want to be free to realize 
their dreams, and they can raise their children in hopeful societies. I 
believe that if given the chance, people in the Middle East will embrace 
the most honorable form of government ever devised by man, democracy. I 
believe all these things because freedom is not America's gift to the 
world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this 
world.
    This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom 
at home and abroad, we'll build a safer world and a more hopeful 
America. By reforming our systems of Government, we will help more 
Americans realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and opportunity 
to every corner of this country. We'll pass the enduring values of our 
country to a new generation. We will continue to make the world more 
peaceful and more free.
    For Americans--for all Americans, these years in our history will 
always stand apart. There are quiet times in the life 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 deep faith in 
the values that makes this a great nation.
    None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another 
began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin 
Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. The memories are vividly etched in 
my mind. There were workers in hardhats yelling at the top of their 
lungs, ``Whatever it takes.''

[[Page 2216]]

I remember working the line, trying to comfort people coming out of that 
rubble, and a guy grabbed me by the arm, and he said, ``Do not let me 
down.'' Ever since that day, that fateful day, I've woken up doing 
whatever I can to protect this country. I will never relent in defending 
you, whatever it takes.
    Four years ago as I had the honor of traveling your State, I made 
this pledge, I said if you gave me the chance to serve, I would uphold 
the honor and the dignity of the office. With your hard work, with your 
help, I will do so for 4 more years.
    May God bless you, and may God bless our great country. Thanks for 
coming. Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 3:58 p.m. at the McIntyre Ski Area. In his 
remarks, he referred to Gov. Craig Benson of New Hampshire; New 
Hampshire State Senator Theodore L. Gatsas and his wife, Cassandra; 
Massachusetts State Representative Brian Paul Golden; country music 
entertainers the Oak Ridge Boys; senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al 
Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; and 
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. This item was not received in 
time for publication in the appropriate issue.