[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 41 (Monday, October 11, 2004)]
[Pages 2235-2242]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

October 2, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for coming.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Thank you all. The sun is shining on Ohio. I'm 
thrilled to be here. I am the first sitting President ever to come to 
this fine city. The rest of them missed a great place. I'm so proud you 
all came out today.
    I'm so honored to be standing up here with Chuck Canterbury to 
receive the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of the Police. It means a 
lot to get the endorsement from those who serve our country on a daily 
basis to make it safe. I'm proud of that endorsement. I want to thank 
Jim Pasco and Nick DiMarco as well as all the Fraternal Order of Police 
folks standing behind me.
    I want to thank you all for coming. I'm here to ask for your vote. 
We're getting closer and closer to election day, and I'm here to ask for 
your help as well. Go out and register your friends and your neighbors. 
Tell them they have a duty in America to vote. In a free society, we 
have an obligation to go to the polls. Make sure you don't overlook 
those discerning Democrats, either--[laughter]--like Zell Miller. Or my 
friend the mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, George McKelvey. I'm proud you're 
here, Mr. Mayor. I'm proud to call you friend, and I'm proud to call you 
supporter. Thanks for coming.
    Then after you get them registered to vote, get them headed to the 
polls. And remind them that if they want a safer America, a stronger 
America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
    Listen, I have one regret, and that is that Laura isn't here with 
me.
    Audience members. Aw-w-w!
    The President. Yes, I know. I hear it all the time, ``Why didn't you 
send Laura, and you stay at home?'' [Laughter] True story. She said, 
``Fine, I'll marry you,'' when I asked her, but she said, ``I don't ever 
want to have to give a speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``You got a deal.'' 
[Laughter] Fortunately, she didn't hold me to my word. The country got 
to see Laura speaking in New York City at that convention. They got to 
see a strong, decent, fine woman. Laura is a great First Lady. I'm 
really proud of her. I'm going to give you some reasons to put me back 
in, but perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura is the 
First Lady for 4 more years.

[[Page 2236]]

    And I'm proud of my Vice President, Dick Cheney. He's warming up. 
[Laughter] He'll be right around the corner pretty soon. He's not going 
to have the waviest hair on the set. [Laughter] I didn't pick him for 
his hair. [Laughter] I picked him because of his judgment and his sound 
experience. Dick Cheney is getting the job done for the American people.
    I'm proud of your United States Senator Mike DeWine. Thanks for 
coming, Mike. I'm honored you're here. Speaking about Senators, you've 
got another good one in George Voinovich. You need to put him back in. 
He's doing Ohio good work. He's a good, solid man, a good, decent 
fellow. I want to thank Congressman Ralph Regula for being with us today 
too. Thank you, Chairman. I'm glad you're here.
    Lieutenant Governor Jennette Bradley is with us. Today is her 
birthday. Yes. What a great way to celebrate your birthday. [Laughter]
    I want to thank the mayor, Don Robart, who is here. Mr. Mayor, my 
only advice, my only advice--I know you didn't ask for any--but my only 
advice is, fill the potholes. [Laughter]
    I want to thank the high school band that's here. Appreciate you 
coming. But most of all, thank you all. I want to thank those who work 
at the grassroots level for putting up the signs and making the phone 
calls. I appreciate you. I want to thank you for what you have done and 
what you're going to do coming down the stretch. With your help, there 
is no doubt in my mind we will carry Ohio again and win a great victory 
in November.
    And I'm looking forward to this campaign. I love coming to your 
State. I've been spending some quality time here. [Laughter] I like to 
come because I want to tell people where I stand, what I believe, and 
where I'm going to lead this Nation.
    I believe every child can learn and every school can teach. I went 
to Washington to challenge what I've called the soft bigotry of low 
expectations. That's a system that, in some cases, passes children 
through, grade after grade, year after year, without learning the 
basics. It's not right. It's not right for our country. We've raised the 
standards. We're now measuring early, so we can solve problems before 
they're too late. I believe in local control of schools. We're closing 
an achievement gap in America, and we're not going to go back to the old 
days.
    I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with 
good health care. I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass 
them on to future Presidents and future generations. I saw a problem in 
Medicare. Medicine had changed, but Medicare hadn't. You know, we pay 
$100,000 or so for a heart surgery for a Medicare patient but not one 
dime for the prescription drugs to prevent the heart surgery from being 
needed in the first place. That doesn't make any sense for our seniors. 
It doesn't make any sense for the taxpayers. I brought Republicans and 
Democrats together. I signed a bill that modernizes Medicare. Seniors 
will get prescription drugs in 2006, and we're not going to go back to 
the old days.
    I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of our workers, our 
small-business owners, our farmers, our ranchers, and that's why we 
unleashed that energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
    When you're out gathering up the vote, remind your friends and 
neighbors about what this economy has been through. The stock market 
started to decline before Dick Cheney and I got to Washington. Then we 
had a recession. Then we had some citizens forget what it means to be a 
responsible American. They didn't tell the truth. We passed tough laws. 
It is abundantly clear now in America, we will not tolerate dishonesty 
in the boardrooms of our country. And then the enemy hit us. And that 
hurt us. That hurt our economy. You know it hurt the economy.
    But this economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. We've been 
growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. It's growing because 
of the spirit of the people. It's growing because of those tax cuts. 
We've added 1.7 million new jobs last year. We've added 107,000 
manufacturing jobs since January. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 
percent, which is lower than the average of the 1970s, the 1980s, and 
the 1990s.
    There's still work to do in parts of Ohio. I understand that. That's 
why I support opportunity zones, places like Summit County,

[[Page 2237]]

to give companies relief and incentives so that they can expand to 
places where the manufacturing sector has been hurt. No, there are 
things we're going to do, but this economy is strong, and it's growing 
stronger. We're not going to go back to the old days of tax and spend.
    I believe the most solemn duty of the President is to protect the 
American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in this 
decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my 
watch.
    I'm running for President with a clear and positive plan to build 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're going to win a great victory in November.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. The world in which we live and work is changing. I 
understand that. The generation of our dads and granddads, a man 
generally had one job and one career, and the company he worked for paid 
for the pension plan and health care. This world we're living in is 
different. The workforce is changing. Women are working inside the house 
and now outside the house. And many workers change careers and jobs over 
their lifetime.
    And yet, the most fundamental of our systems, the Tax Code, health 
coverage, pension plans, and worker training, were created for 
yesterday, not tomorrow. I am running to change those systems so all 
citizens are equipped, prepared, and thus truly free to make your own 
choices so you can pursue your own dreams.
    Now, I understand that a hopeful society is one that has got a 
growing economy. If we want to keep jobs here in America and expand the 
job base, America must be the best place in the world to do business. 
That means less regulations on our businessowners. That means we got to 
do something about these frivolous lawsuits that plague our small 
businesses.
    If we want to keep jobs here, if we want to--Congress needs to pass 
my energy plan. It is a plan that encourages conservation. It is a plan 
that encourages the use of renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. It is 
a plan that says we'll explore technologies to make sure we consume 
energy in different ways. It is a plan that encourages clean coal 
technology. It is a plan that allows us to explore for natural gas in 
environmentally friendly ways. It is a plan that recognizes, to keep 
jobs here in America, we must be less dependent on foreign sources of 
energy.
    To keep jobs in this country, we've got to reject economic 
isolationism. See, we've opened up our markets--just not me. Other 
Presidents, as well, from both parties, have opened up our markets 
because it's good for you, the consumer. See, if you've got more 
products to choose from, you're likely to get that which you want at a 
better price and higher quality. That's how the market works. And so 
what I'm saying to places like China, ``You treat us the way we treat 
you.'' Opening up markets is good for our workers. It's good for our 
farmers. See, we can compete with anybody, anywhere, anytime, so long as 
the rules are fair.
    To make sure we keep jobs here, 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'll tell you why. The fellow I'm 
running against has so far proposed $2.2 trillion in new spending. Yes.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. No, I know. That's a lot, even for a Senator from 
Massachusetts. So they asked him how he's going to pay for it, and he 
said, ``Well, we're just going to tax the rich.'' We've heard that 
before, haven't we? Let me tell you a couple things wrong with this 
``tax the rich.''
    First of all, you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay 
for $2.2 trillion. You raise about $680 billion. Therefore, there is a 
tax gap. Guess who always gets to fill the tax gap? Yes, you do. ``Tax 
the rich,'' yes, we've heard it. The rich hire lawyers and accountants 
for a reason, because they want to stick you with the bill. We're not 
going to let John Kerry tax you; we're going to win in November.

[[Page 2238]]

    Now that we're on taxes, let me say something about the Tax Code. 
It's a complicated mess. It's a million pages long. It takes 6 billion 
hours a year to fill out the tax forms in this country. In a new term, 
I'm going to bring Republicans and Democrats together to simplify this 
Tax Code so it's more fair for you.
    In a changing world, the skills that are required for the jobs of 
the 21st century change. We have a skills gap in America in some 
communities. Some jobs are gone; new jobs arrive. In order to help our 
workers, I'm a big believer in the community college system, to make the 
systems available so people can gain the skills necessary to fill the 
jobs of the 21st century. As well in a changing world, most new jobs 
filled by people--are filled by people with at least 2 years of college, 
yet, one in four of our students gets there. That's why I believe in 
early intervention programs in high school to help our at-risk students. 
That's why I know we've got to place a new focus on math and science. 
Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. See, by 
raising the 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.
    In this time of change, we've got to do something about the health 
care system. There's a big difference in this campaign on health care. 
You listen carefully to what my opponent's laying out, and it says one 
thing: The Federal Government's going to run it.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I want you to run it. I want you to be the 
decisionmaker. So here's some practical ways to help. First of all, 
we'll take care of the poor and the needy by expanding community health 
centers all around the country. We have a duty and an obligation to do 
so. It makes sense that those folks get good health care in these 
centers and not in the emergency rooms of our hospitals. Secondly, we'll 
continue to expand the children's health care program for low-income 
Americans.
    In order to make sure health care is available and affordable, we're 
going to help our small-business owners. One-half of the uninsured, 
currently uninsured, work for small businesses. There's a reason why, 
small businesses can't afford health care. They ought to be allowed to 
pool together their risk so they can buy insurance at the same discount 
big businesses can. That makes sense. That's a commonsense way to make 
sure the control of health care is in your hands. My opponent opposes 
that.
    I'll tell you another thing we need to do to make sure health care 
is available and affordable. We've got to do something about these junk 
lawsuits that are running up the cost of medicine and running good 
doctors out of practice. You cannot be pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-
hospital, and pro-trial-lawyer at the same time. See, I think you have 
to make a choice. My opponent made his choice, and he put a trial lawyer 
on the ticket.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I made my choice. I'm standing with the docs and 
patients. I'm for medical liability reform--now. In all we do, we'll 
make sure the medical decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by 
bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
    In a changing society, it helps bring stability in people's life if 
they own something. The homeownership rate under my administration is 
the highest it's ever been in America. Over the next 4 years, we'll 
continue to expand the homeownership policies to every corner of 
America. I love the idea of somebody opening up the door where they live 
and saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of property.''
    As well, we've got to think different about our retirement systems. 
You might remember the 2000 campaign, when people said, ``Well, if 
George W. gets in, they're going to take away your Social Security 
check.'' You still got your check, didn't you? So here's my message to 
our seniors: Don't worry about what they tell you in the campaign; the 
Social Security obligation will be fulfilled. And for us baby boomers, 
there's enough money in the system to take care of us.
    But because there's a lot of baby boomers getting ready to retire, 
we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when it comes 
to Social Security. I believe younger workers ought to be allowed to 
take some of their own tax money and set up a personal savings account 
that they can call

[[Page 2239]]

their own, that the Government cannot take away.
    In this world of change, there are some things that do not 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 families, our schools, our 
religious congregations. We believe in 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. 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 the 
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September 
the 11th, 2001, we've 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're 
reforming and strengthening our intelligence services. We're 
strengthening our All-Volunteer Army, which will remain an all-volunteer 
army. We are staying on the offensive. We are striking the terrorists 
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
    We will continue to spread freedom and liberty in the broader Middle 
East and around the world, and we will prevail. Our strategy is--see, 
you think about the world the way it was a while back. Afghanistan was 
the home base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist 
groups; Saudi Arabia was fertile ground for terrorist fundraising; Libya 
was secretly pursuing nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering danger; and 
Al Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
    Because we acted, a free Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is 
capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is making 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 have been brought 
to justice. We've led. Many have joined, and America and the world are 
safer.
    This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear moral purpose, and 
some tough decisions. And the toughest came on Iraq. Saddam Hussein was 
a threat. We knew his record of aggression, support for terrorist 
organizations. Saddam Hussein used weapons of mass destruction. He fired 
missiles at our pilots which were enforcing the world's sanctions. He 
slaughtered his own people. Saddam Hussein was a threat. And after 
September the 11th, we must always remember, we must take threats 
seriously, before the fully materialize.
    That is the reality of the world in which we live. I recognized that 
reality, and I went to the Congress. Congress debated the issue. They 
voted overwhelmingly to authorize the use of force. They had looked at 
the same intelligence I did, remembered the same history I did, and 
voted overwhelmingly for force. My opponent looked at the same 
intelligence I did, and when the vote came to authorize force, he voted 
``yes.'' I guess now it depends on what the meaning of ``yes'' is in his 
mind.
    Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
    The President. Before the Commander in Chief commits our troops into 
harm's way, he must try every other alternative. And so I went to the 
United Nations hoping that diplomacy would work. The United Nations 
debated the issue and voted 15 to nothing, the U.N. Security Council, to 
say to Saddam Hussein, ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious 
consequences.'' I believe when an international body speaks, it must 
mean what it says.
    As he had for 16 other resolutions, Saddam Hussein ignored the 
United Nations. The other night, my opponent suggested we probably 
should have passed the 18th resolution. [Laughter] What good would a 
resolution do after he ignored the first 17? As he had for a decade, he 
wasn't about to listen to the demands of the free world. As a matter of 
fact, when they sent inspectors in--it is now a fact that Saddam Hussein 
was systematically deceiving the inspectors. Part of my opponent's plan, 
as articulated in Miami, said, ``Well, we should have let the inspectors 
work.'' They weren't working. He was deceiving them. He was hoping the 
world would turn away. So I had a choice to make at this

[[Page 2240]]

point in time: Do I take the word of a madman, 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 all thought were there. But 
remember, Saddam Hussein had the capability of making weapons of mass 
destruction. He could have passed that capability onto a terrorist 
enemy, and that was a risk we could not afford to take after September 
the 11th. Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same 
decision. America and the world are better off with Saddam in a prison 
cell.
    Because we acted to defend our country, 50 million people now live 
in freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq. I want you to remind your friends 
and neighbors about the Afghan story. You realize, almost 3\1/2\ years 
ago, the Taliban, these ideologues of hate, would not yet--let many 
young girls go to school. Imagine a society in which young girls weren't 
allowed to go to school. When their mothers didn't toe the line on their 
ideology, they'd take them in the public square and whip them. 
Sometimes, they shot them in the sports stadium. It was a dismal, dark 
society.
    Today, 10 million Afghan citizens have registered to vote, 41 
percent of whom are women, and they're having a Presidential election 
later on this month. Think about that. Freedom is powerful. Freedom has 
converted a society that was dark and gloomy to one of hope and light.
    In Iraq, there's a brave Prime Minister named Prime Minister Allawi. 
They're going to have elections in January. It's hard work there. I know 
it's hard work. But you can be realistic and optimistic at the same 
time. We got a good plan. We're training the Iraqis so they can do the 
hard work. A hundred-thousand of them are trained. They're taking action 
today against some of those terrorist thugs. Slowly but surely, their 
forces are getting up, and some point in time, they'll be ready to 
defend themselves.
    We're helping to rebuild that country. Other nations are involved. 
They're having conferences here and conferences there. I'll tell you one 
thing, a summit isn't how you solve the problem. I've been to a lot of 
summits. I've never seen one that brought a terrorist to justice.
    No, we've got a plan, and it's working. Mr. Zarqawi's got one--he's 
got one weapon, and that is to shake our will, because we've got good 
conscience, because we care about human life and human dignity. Every 
life is precious. That's his one weapon. But when America gives its 
word, America will keep its word, for the Iraqi and Afghan citizens. 
We'll help these people move toward elections. We'll get them on the 
path to stability and democracy as quickly as possible, and then our 
troops will come home with the honor they have earned.
    We've got a great military. I'm proud of our military. And I want to 
thank the veterans who are here for having set such a great example for 
those who wear the uniform. I also want to thank the military families 
who are here today. We appreciate your sacrifice, and I made a 
commitment to our families and to those who wear the uniform that you'll 
have all the resources you need to complete your missions.
    That's why I went to the Congress, September of 2003 and asked them 
for $87 billion of important funding, funding to support our troops in 
harm's way. We got great support there. As a matter of fact, the support 
was overwhelming for the $87 billion. All but 12 United States Senators 
voted for the funding, 2 of whom were my opponent and his runningmate. I 
want you to remind your friends and neighbors this: There was only four 
Members of the Senate that voted to authorize the use of force and 
didn't vote to fund our troops, two of whom would be my opponent and his 
runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. So they actually asked him, they said, ``Why did you 
do that?'' He said, in one of the famous quotes of the 2004 campaign--
[laughter]--``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, right before I 
voted against it.''
    Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
    The President. They kept pressing him. He said he was proud of the 
vote. Finally, he said, ``It was a complicated matter,'' and, yet, 
incredibly enough, he came up with a new reason. Last week, he described 
his vote

[[Page 2241]]

against funding the troops as a protest vote. He said it on national TV.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. When American troops are in harm's way and defending 
our country, they deserve better than to have a candidate for President 
use them as a protest vote. Oh, I forgot. I forgot. There's yet another 
explanation since then, and it happened at the debate. He said he made a 
mistake in how he talked about that vote. The mistake wasn't what 
Senator Kerry said. The mistake is what Senator Kerry did.
    In the debate, my opponent also said something revealing when he 
laid out the Kerry doctrine. [Laughter] He said this, that America has 
to pass a ``global test''----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. ----before we can use troops to defend ourselves. 
Senator Kerry's approach to foreign policy would give foreign 
governments veto power over national security decisions.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I have a different view. When our country is in 
danger, the President's job is not to take an international poll. The 
President's job is to defend America.
    I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The heart of my 
conviction is that liberty can help change societies for the better. You 
know, I spend time with the Prime Minister of Japan. He's a good friend. 
I was in New York with him at the U.N. I said, ``By the way, I'm talking 
about you on the campaign trail. Do you mind?'' And he said, ``No, not 
at all.'' I didn't tell him I was going to tell you that he likes Elvis. 
[Laughter]
    Nevertheless, here's why I like to bring him up. Wasn't all that 
long ago that our country was at war with Japan. My dad fought them. 
Your dads and granddads fought them as well. They were the sworn enemy. 
And after World War II, Harry Truman and other Americans believed that 
liberty could transform an enemy into an ally and worked with Japan to 
promote democracy. Now, a lot of people then, I'm confident, were 
skeptical about that being able to happen. You understand why. We had 
just fought them. A lot of lives had been lost. But because Harry Truman 
stuck to those values, today, I sit down at the table with the head of a 
former enemy, talking about the peace we all want, talking about how to 
work together to keep the peace.
    Liberty is powerful. It is powerful. I am confident that someday, an 
American President will be sitting down with a duly elected leader of 
Iraq talking about how to keep the peace in the greater Middle East, and 
our country will be better off for it. Our children and grandchildren 
will be able to grow up in a more peaceful world.
    I believe that the women in the Middle East want to live in freedom. 
I believe that everybody wants their child to grow up in a free and 
peaceful society. I believe if given the chance, the people in that part 
of the world will embrace the most honorable form of government ever 
devised by man. And I'll tell you why I believe these things: 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'll help more 
Americans realize their dreams. We'll work to spread ownership and 
opportunity to every corner of our country. We'll pass the enduring 
values of our country on to a young generation. We'll continue to work 
for peace and freedom around the world.
    You know, for all Americans, these years in our history will always 
stand apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little 
is expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. It's a time 
that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values 
that make this a great nation.
    None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another 
began. September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin 
Towers. I'll never forget it. There were workers in hardhats there 
yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I 
remember trying to console some people coming out of that rubble. A guy 
grabbed me by the arm. He looked me straight in the eye, and he said, 
``You don't let me down.'' Waking up every morning since then, trying to 
figure out how best to protect

[[Page 2242]]

America. I will defend the security of the people of this country, 
whatever it takes.
    Four years ago, as I traveled your great State asking for the vote, 
I made this pledge. I said if I was honored to be able to hold the 
office of the Presidency, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of 
that office. With your help and with your hard work, I will do so again 
for 4 more years.
    Thanks for coming. God bless you all. Thanks for being here. Thank 
you all.

Note: The President spoke at 3:51 p.m. at the Cuyahoga Falls Civic 
Center. In his remarks, he referred to Kenneth C. Canterbury, national 
president, James Pasco, executive director, and Nicholas DiMarco, Ohio 
State president, Fraternal Order of Police; Mayor Don L. Robart of 
Cuyahoga Falls, OH; Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the keynote 
address at the Republican National Convention; senior Al Qaida associate 
Abu Musab Al Zarqawi; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim 
Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.