[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 42 (Monday, October 18, 2004)]
[Pages 2330-2338]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Hobbs, New Mexico

October 11, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming out. It's nice to be 
back in a part of the world that I know very well. I was raised right 
around the corner. It's good to be in a part of the world where the 
cowboy hats outnumber the ties. It's good to be in a part of the world 
where people believe in their family and their faith and their country.
    I want to thank all the people from Lea County, New Mexico, for 
coming here today. I'm proud you're here. Thanks for organizing this 
great event. I want to thank the people from Eddy County who are here. 
When I was a little guy, I distinctly remember going to Carlsbad 
Caverns. I went with the Cub Scout troop. It just so happened the den 
mother was my mother. [Laughter] I think that's when her hair started to 
go white. [Laughter] Appreciate the people from Chaves being here as 
well.
    I want to thank my friends who've come over from the great State of 
Texas. I'm proud you all are here. I really appreciate the Flying Eagles 
from Hobbs being here. Thank you for being here in the band. Still play 
pretty good basketball? [Applause] Yes. That's what I figured. 
[Laughter]
    I'm here to ask for your vote. That's what I'm here to do. By the 
way, I don't know if you know this, but I'm the first sitting President 
to have ever visited Hobbs, New Mexico. I may just be the first sitting 
President to have visited, and the first person

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who's the President who's ever been here before he was President. 
[Laughter] All I can tell you is the other ones missed a lot by not 
coming to Hobbs, New Mexico.
    I'm also here to ask for your help. You know, last time, in New 
Mexico, we lost by just a little over 600 votes. If every one of you all 
takes somebody to the polls come voting time, we'll win. So I'm here to 
thank you for what you're going to do. You're going to convince our 
fellow citizens to do their duty and vote. And when you're turning 
people out to the polls, don't overlook discerning Democrats, people 
like Zell Miller who understands that if you want a safer America, a 
stronger America, and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back 
in office.
    I'm keeping really good company today. I'm proud to be traveling 
with one of our twin daughters, Jenna Bush. This is the camping trip I 
promised to take her on when she was a kid. [Laughter] Jenna and I just 
said goodbye to a great First Lady. You know, when I asked Laura to 
marry me, she said, ``Fine, just so long as I never have to give a 
political speech.'' I said, ``You got a deal.'' [Laughter] Fortunately, 
she didn't hold me to that. The American people have seen not only a 
great speaker, when she speaks, but they've seen a graceful, 
compassionate, great First Lady. I like to tell people, you know, 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.
    I'm real proud of George P. Bush. Now, his dad is my brother, and 
he's the Governor of Florida. So if he's listening, turn out that vote. 
[Laughter]
    I want to thank my Vice President. I'm proud to be running with Dick 
Cheney. He's a good, solid, strong American.
    I really am pleased to be working with a great United States 
Congressman from this part of the world. I'm proud of the job that Steve 
Pearce is doing. He brings that eastern New Mexico commonsense to 
Washington, DC. He's down-to-earth. He's smart. He's capable. He's doing 
you a great job in the House of Representatives. Laura and I are fond of 
Cynthia, his wife, and he kindly introduced me to his mother, Jane, 
today. I said to her, I said, ``Is Steve still listening to you?'' She 
said, ``About half the time.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Well, that sounds 
like me and my mother.'' [Laughter]
    With us today as well is a fellow running for Congress across the 
State line, named Randy Neugebauer. I know Randy. I trust his judgment. 
He's a good, honest man. He's a man that I can work with. It is 
important that the people of west Texas send Randy Neugebauer back to 
the United States Congress.
    I want to thank all the other State and local officials. I want to 
thank the members of my team who are here of Hispanic origin. The head 
of the SBA is here today, Hector Barreto; Rosario Marin, who's a former 
U.S. Treasurer; the White House Counsel, Alberto Gonzales, is with us 
today. These folks are here to help us inspire the Hispanic vote to come 
our way. Con su apoyo, vamos a ganar.
    See, my message is for everybody. When I say a hopeful America, I'm 
just not talking about one segment of the country, I'm talking about 
every single person when it comes to a hopeful America.
    I want to thank my friend Mark Wills. He's a good singer. Nice of 
him to be here today. I'm proud he's here.
    I particularly want to thank all the grassroots activists, the 
people involved with turning out the vote and making the phone calls. I 
know you've done a lot of hard work. First of all, it takes a lot of 
hard work to get this many people to show up. [Laughter] If you put the 
same amount of work you put into getting this rally going to getting 
people to the polls, there's no doubt in my mind we'll carry New Mexico 
and win a great victory in November.
    We had a great debate on Friday night. As you can tell, I'm kind of 
working my way west for the final debate. Our debates have highlighted 
the clear differences between the Senator and me on issues ranging from 
jobs to taxes to health care and to the war on terror. Much as he tries 
to obscure it, on issue after issue he has shown why he earned the 
ranking as the most liberal Member of the United States Senate. Several 
of his statements the other night simply don't pass the credibility 
test.

[[Page 2332]]

    With a straight face, he said he'd had only one position on Iraq. 
[Laughter] He must think we're on another planet. [Laughter] In the 
spring of 2003, as I ordered the invasion of Iraq, Senator Kerry said, 
``It was the right decision.'' Now he says, ``It's the wrong war.'' In 
the same debate, he said Saddam was a threat. Then a few minutes later, 
he said there wasn't a threat in Iraq. And now he tries to tell us he's 
had only one position. Who's he trying to kid? [Laughter] He can run, 
but he cannot hide.
    With another straight face, he tried to tell Americans that when it 
comes to his health care plan, and I quote, ``The Government has nothing 
to do with it.'' [Laughter] The facts are that 8 out of 10 people who 
get health care under Senator Kerry's plan would be placed on a 
Government program. He can run, but he cannot hide.
    Then he was asked to look into the camera--[laughter]--and promise 
he would not raise taxes for anyone who earns less than $200,000 a year. 
The problem is, to keep that promise he'd have to break almost all his 
other promises. [Laughter] His plan to raise taxes on the top two income 
brackets would raise about $600 billion according to our counters, about 
$800 billion according to his planners--counters. The problem is, is 
that his spending plans will cost almost four times as much, $2.2 
trillion. You can't have it both ways. To pay for all the big spending 
programs he's outlined during his campaign, he's going to have to raise 
your taxes. See, he can run, but he cannot hide.
    You know, listening--after listening to that litany of complaints 
and the dour pessimism, it took all I could do not to make a face. 
[Laughter] I have a different view, a different philosophy, and a strong 
record to be running on. I've worked hard to make this country a more 
hopeful place and a more secure place. I've led our country with 
principle and resolve, and that's how I'll continue to lead this Nation.
    The world in which we live and work is changing. Workers switch jobs 
more than they used to. Women are working in the home and outside the 
home as well. That means they need new skills and benefits they can take 
with them from job to job. Yet many of the most fundamental systems of 
our Government, the Tax Code, the health care, pension plans, and worker 
training, were created for a world of yesterday, not tomorrow. I'm 
running for 4 more years to transform these systems to help citizens 
realize their dreams.
    And a plan--any plan, any strategy for a hopeful America begins with 
a growing economy that creates good jobs. See, I believe in the energy 
and innovation and spirit of our workers and our small-business owners 
and our farmers and our ranchers. And that's why we unleashed that 
energy with the largest tax relief in a generation.
    When you're out rounding up the vote, you might remind people of 
what we've been through, what this economy has been through. The stock 
market started to go down 6 months prior to my arrival in Washington, 
DC. See, and that was--that foretold the recession that came. So we had 
the stock market correction and a recession. We had some corporate 
scandals which affected our economy. By the way, we passed tough laws. 
We have made it abundantly clear that we will not tolerate dishonesty in 
the boardrooms of America. And then the enemy hit us. And that cost our 
economy one million jobs in the 3 months after September the 11th.
    No, we've been through a lot, but we acted. Because we passed tax 
relief, this economy is growing. It's getting stronger, and we're not 
going to go back to the old days of tax and spend. The past 13 months, 
we've added 1.9 million new jobs. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 
percent, which is lower than the average of the 1970s, the 1980s, and 
the 1990s. State unemployment rate in New Mexico is 5.4 percent. People 
are working. People are finding a way to make a living. Our farmers are 
doing well. Our ranchers are doing well. The homeownership rate in 
America is at an alltime high.
    We're moving forward, and there's more to do. To make sure quality 
jobs are here, created here in America, America must be the best place 
in the world to do business. That means less regulations on the job 
creators. That means we got to do something about these frivolous 
lawsuits that are making it hard to expand the job base.

[[Page 2333]]

    Listen, to make sure this economy continues to grow, Congress needs 
to pass my energy plan. I put a plan up there that encourages 
conservation, that understands we can use renewables like ethanol and 
biodiesel. It's a plan that also recognizes that we can explore for 
natural gas in environmentally friendly ways. It's a plan that 
recognizes we can use clean coal technology. At the heart of my plan is 
the understanding that in order to create jobs here, America must become 
less dependent on foreign sources of energy. And people around here know 
what I'm talking about.
    To create jobs, we need to keep people and businesses safe from 
wildfires. That's why I worked with Congress to pass the Healthy Forests 
Restoration Act. It's an important piece of legislation for much of your 
State. This good law allows us to thin out the underbrush that damages 
our forests and serves as kindling for fires. It's a commonsense measure 
that's protected communities all across the West. I was proud to work on 
it, and I was proud to sign it into law. Both the Republican Senator 
from this State--and by the way, Pete Domenici is a good one. He's a 
fine man. Both the Republican Senator and the Democrat Senator from New 
Mexico supported the Healthy Forests bill. But my opponent was against 
it. Now he says he likes parts of the law. I guess it's not only the 
wildfires that shift in the wind. [Laughter]
    To create jobs, we've got to reject economic isolationism and open 
up markets. Listen, we've opened up the markets for products from 
overseas, and it's good for you as consumers. See, here's the way the 
market works. 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 it works. So what I'm saying to places like China, ``You treat us 
the way we treat you. You open up your markets.'' And I'm saying that 
because I know we can compete with anybody, anytime, anywhere, so long 
as the rules are fair.
    To create jobs here and to make sure this economy grows, we got to 
keep your taxes low. Taxes are an issue in this campaign. We talked 
about them in the last debate, and I hope we talk about them in the next 
debate. See, he's saying, ``Oh, don't worry, I can pay for all my 
programs by taxing the rich.'' We've heard that before, haven't we?
    Audience members. [Inaudible]
    The President. Yes, you know how it works. First of all, as I told 
you, he doesn't have enough money to pay for all his programs. There's a 
tax gap, and guess who usually gets stuck filling the hole? Yes, you do. 
Something else about taxing the rich, the rich hire lawyers and 
accountants for a reason: to dodge the tax bill and stick you with it. 
We're not going to let him do it to you; we're going to win in November.
    To build a more hopeful America, we've got to have the best prepared 
and most highly skilled workforce in the world. It all starts with 
education. I believe every child can learn and every school must teach. 
I went to Washington, DC, to challenge the soft bigotry of low 
expectations, to challenge those systems that would just shuffle the 
kids through, year after year, grade after grade, without teaching them 
the basics. See, we have a optimistic outlook. I learned it being out 
here where the sky is big. I believe every child can learn. I believe 
that. That's why we've raised the standards. That's why we believe in 
local control of schools. And that's why we measure, so we can solve 
problems early, before it is too late.
    The achievement gap in America is closing. We're not going back to 
those old days of mediocrity in our schools. No dejaremos a ningun nino 
atras--we will leave no child behind.
    Listen, most new jobs are filled by people with at least 2 years of 
college education, yet only one in four of our students gets there. 
That's why we've got to fund early intervention programs for at-risk 
students in high schools. That's why we've got to emphasize math and 
science. That's why, over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before 
graduation. By raising performance in our high schools and by expanding 
Pell grants for low- and middle-income families, we will help more 
Americans start their career with a college degree.
    I'm a big supporter of the community college system here in America. 
See, I believe that community colleges can be used wisely

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to make sure our workers gain the skills necessary to fill the jobs of 
the 21st century.
    And to make sure our country is more hopeful, we need to make health 
care more affordable and more available. We need a safety net for those 
with the greatest needs. I believe every poor county in America ought to 
have a community health center, places where the poor and the indigent 
can get the health care they need. I believe we've got to expand those 
community health centers. Since I've been President, we've opened more 
than 600--expanded or opened more than 600. There's more to do. We got 
more to do to make sure our poor children are fully subscribed in 
programs for low-income families so they get the health care they need.
    There's more we can do to make sure health care is affordable. Most 
of the uninsured are employees of small businesses. In order to make 
sure families can get the insurance they need, we ought to allow small 
businesses to pool together, to pool risk across jurisdictional 
boundaries so they can buy insurance at the same discount that big 
companies can buy insurance. We'll make sure health savings accounts are 
available to all, so workers in small businesses are able to pay lower 
premiums and people can save tax-free in a health care account they call 
their own.
    To make sure health care is available and affordable, we've got to 
do something about the junk lawsuits that are running good doctors out 
of practice and running up the costs of your health care. You can't be 
pro-doctor, pro-patient, pro-hospital, and pro-trial-lawyer at the same 
time. [Laughter] I think you have to choose. And 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 am for medical liability reform--
now. No, there's a big difference in health care. We'll talk about it 
Wednesday night. But in all we do to improve health care, we will make 
sure that the decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by 
officials in Washington, DC.
    I went to Washington to solve problems, not to pass them on. And I 
felt we had a problem when it came to making sure our seniors got good, 
modern medicine. Medicare is a vital program, yet it wasn't keeping pace 
with the changes in medicine. Let me give you an example. We'd pay 
thousands of dollars for heart surgery but not one dime for the 
prescription drugs that could prevent the heart surgery from being 
needed in the first place. That didn't make any sense. It didn't make 
any sense for our seniors, and it didn't make any sense for the 
taxpayers. So I worked with Republicans and Democrats to strengthen 
Medicare. In 2006, our seniors will be able to get prescription drugs in 
the Medicare program. Medicare is changing for the better. Our seniors 
will get a modern health care program, and we're not going to go back to 
the old days.
    Let me talk about the retirement systems for a second. In the 2000 
campaign, I remember distinctly our seniors being told on television ads 
that, ``If George W gets elected, you won't get your check.'' I don't 
know if they ran those kinds of ads here in New Mexico or not. I bet 
they did--yes. Well, the seniors got their checks. See, and that's the 
same kind of rhetoric you're going to hear again, because I'm going to 
talk about strengthening Social Security. But when I do so, I want you 
to remember that if you're getting your Social Security check, nothing 
is going to change. No matter what the political rhetoric is, you're 
going to continue to get your check, just like we said you would. If 
you're a baby boomer, we're in pretty good shape when it comes to Social 
Security.
    But when it--but for our younger folks here in America, for our 
children and grandchildren, we need to think differently about whether 
or not the Social Security system is going to be viable for them. I 
believe younger workers ought to be able to take some of their own tax 
money and set up a personal savings account so they can get a better 
rate of interest on the money being accumulated for their retirement.
    In times of change, there are some things that don't change, the 
values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and 
integrity. In changing times, we will support the institutions that give 
our lives direction and purpose, our families, our schools, 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

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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 the 
continuing danger of terrorism. 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.
    Since that terrible morning of 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. We've got a strategy 
that's clear. We're defending the homeland. We're transforming our 
military. I will make sure the All-Volunteer Army remains the All-
Volunteer Army. We're reforming and strengthening our intelligence 
services. We're staying on the offensive. We are striking the terrorists 
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
    Our strategy is succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home 
base of Al Qaida; Pakistan was a transit point for terrorists; Saudi 
Arabia was fertile ground for terrorists' fundraising; Libya was 
secretly pursuing nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering threat; and Al 
Qaida was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks. That's the way the 
world was.
    Because we acted, the Government of a free Afghanistan held 
Presidential elections last weekend and is an ally in the war on 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 for freedom; and more than three-quarters of Al 
Qaida's key members and associates have been detained or killed. We have 
led. Many have joined. And America and the world are safer.
    After September the 11th, America had to assess every potential 
threat in a new light. It's one of the lessons of that fateful day. We 
confront an even greater danger, that the prospect of terrorists getting 
weapons of mass destruction would inflict great harm on America. We had 
to take a hard look at every place where terrorists might get those 
weapons.
    And one regime stood out, the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. We 
knew his record of aggression and support for terror. We knew he hated 
America. We knew he had used weapons of mass destruction. We know that 
after September the 11th, we must take threats seriously before they 
fully materialize. In Saddam, we saw a threat.
    And I went to the United States Congress. They looked at the same 
intelligence I looked at. They remembered the same history I remembered. 
And they came to the same conclusion I came to, that Saddam Hussein was 
a threat. And they voted to authorize the use of force. My opponent 
looked at the same intelligence, and he voted to authorize the use of 
force.
    Before the United States ever commits troops into harm's way, we 
must try all means to deal with the threat. No President ever wants to 
send America's sons and daughters to war. So I worked to avoid that. And 
I went to the United Nations in the hopes that diplomacy would work. The 
United Nations had a debate. They looked at the same intelligence we 
were looking at. They passed another resolution telling Saddam Hussein 
to ``Disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.'' I believe that 
when an international body speaks, it must mean what it says.
    So we gave Saddam Hussein a final chance, and he continued to 
deceive the world. He was deceiving the weapons inspectors. And so I 
have a choice to make at this time in our history: Do I forget the 
lessons of September the 11th and take the word of a madman, or do I 
take action to defend our country? Given that choice, I will defend 
America every time.
    Now, we didn't find the stockpiles that we all thought were there. 
But as the Duelfer report said, Saddam Hussein retained the intent and 
the capability to rebuild his weapons programs. He was gaming the Oil 
for Food Programme, using it to influence officials in other countries. 
Why? Because he wanted the world to look the other way, so he could 
restart his programs. The world is safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in 
a prison cell.

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Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision.
    Because we acted in Afghanistan and Iraq, America is safer and 50 
million people now live in freedom. Think about what took place in 
Afghanistan this past weekend. It's an unbelievable story. Just 3\1/2\ 
years ago, people lived under the brutal dictatorship of the Taliban. 
These were people that wouldn't let many young girls go to school, and 
when women didn't agree with them, they took them in the public square 
and whipped them and sometimes killed them in the sports stadium. These 
were brutal people. And because they're gone, Afghanistan held 
Presidential elections. The first voter was a 19-year-old woman who was 
able to express her opinion in the polls.
    And Iraq has got a strong Prime Minister and a National Council, and 
national elections are scheduled for January. Think about how far that 
country has come from the days of torture chambers and mass graves. No, 
we're standing with the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, because when 
America gives its word, America must keep its word.
    We're also standing with them because a free Afghanistan and Iraq 
will make our country safer. See, free societies in the Middle East will 
be hopeful societies which no longer feed resentments and breed violence 
for export. Free governments in the Middle East will fight the 
terrorists instead of harboring them, and that helps us keep the peace.
    Our mission is clear. We will help those countries train armies so 
that the people of Afghanistan and Iraq can do the hard work of 
defending democracy. We'll help them get on the path to stability and 
self-govern as soon as possible, and then our troops will come home with 
the honor they have earned.
    We've got a great United States military. And I want to thank the 
veterans who are here today for having set such a great example to those 
who wear the uniform. And I want to thank the military families who are 
here today. I've made a commitment to those who wear the uniform and to 
their families: They'll have all the resources they need to do their 
job.
    That's why I went to the United States Congress in September of 2003 
and asked for $87 billion in supplemental funding to support our troops 
in harm's way in Afghanistan and Iraq. And this was essential funding. 
This was really important funding. We received great bipartisan support 
for that funding. As a matter of fact, the support was so strong that 
only 12 United States Senators voted against it. Now, when you're out 
there rounding up the vote, remind people there were only four United 
States Senators who voted to authorize the use of force and then voted 
against money necessary to support our troops in harm's way, and two of 
those are my opponent and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. You might remember my opponent's famous quote, ``I 
actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it.'' 
[Laughter] Now, I know something about eastern New Mexico and west 
Texas, and there are not many folks who talk like that in this part of 
the world. [Laughter] They kept pressing him, you know. He's given a lot 
of explanations for that vote. There are just too many to enumerate. 
[Laughter] One of my favorites is when he said, ``Well, it's just a 
complicated matter.'' [Laughter] There's nothing complicated about 
supporting our troops in combat.
    Now, on national security, my opponent has a record. He can run, but 
he can't hide from it. [Laughter] He voted against the weapons systems 
that helped our country win the cold war. He voted to cut America's 
intelligence budget by $7.5 billion after 1993. That's after the World 
Trade Center got bombed for the first time. He now says he wants a 
``global test'' before taking action to defend America's security.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. That's what he said. I'm not putting words in his 
mouth, either. [Laughter] The problem is the Senator can never pass his 
own test. [Laughter] Think about that. In 1990, the United Nations 
Security Council passed a resolution supporting action to remove Saddam 
Hussein from Kuwait. The international community was united. Countries 
throughout the world joined our coalition. Yet in the United States 
Senate after the Security Council resolution, Senator Kerry voted ``no'' 
on the authorization of force.

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    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. See, if driving Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait with the 
support of the international community does not meet this test, then 
nothing will meet his test, and that's dangerous in the kind of world we 
live in. See, we have a different view of the world, a different view of 
America's role in confronting threats. Just this weekend, we saw new 
evidence that Senator Kerry fundamentally misunderstands the war on 
terror. Earlier he questioned whether it was really a war at all, 
describing it as primarily a law enforcement and intelligence-gathering 
operation instead of a threat that demands the full use of American 
power.
    Now, just this weekend, Senator Kerry talked of reducing terrorism 
to, quote, ``nuisance,'' end quote, and compared it to prostitution and 
illegal gambling. See, I couldn't disagree more. Our goal is not to 
reduce terror to some acceptable level of nuisance. Our goal is to 
defeat terror by staying on the offensive, destroying terrorists, and 
spreading freedom and liberty around the world.
    I'll always work with our friends and allies. Alliances are 
important, and over the next 4 years, we'll continue to build strong 
coalitions. But I will never turn over America's national security 
decisions to leaders of other countries.
    I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I tell people 
about my relationship with Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. I tell them 
that because it's an interesting lesson. You see, it wasn't all that 
long ago that we were fighting the Japanese. If you're 58 years old, it 
seems like an eternity, since it was 60 years ago. [Laughter] But my dad 
was in the war. I guarantee you there are people here in the audience 
who were touched by that war and had a granddad or a dad fight in that 
war.
    And after we won, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States, 
believed in the power of liberty to transform societies, and he worked 
with the Japanese to help them develop a democracy. A lot of people 
questioned that. You know, there was a lot of pessimism after World War 
II. You can understand why. The Japanese were the enemy. Why do we care 
after we won? We had defeated them. A lot of people here's lives had 
been turned upside-down because a loved-one's life had been lost, and 
they didn't have--want to have anything to do with the enemy. But 
fortunately, there were people in this country who had the faith in the 
ability of liberty to transform societies.
    And so now I sit down at the table with Prime Minister Koizumi 
talking about the peace, talking about how to achieve the peace we want 
for our children and grandchildren. I believe the same lessons apply for 
today. We will achieve a free Iraq. Iraq will be a democracy. And when 
we do so, at some point in time, an American President and a duly 
elected leader of Iraq will be sitting down talking about how to keep 
the peace. And our children and grandchildren will be able to live in a 
better world.
    I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for 
their freedom. I believe women want there to be a free society in the 
Middle East. I know they want their children to be able to grow up in a 
world in which they can realize their dreams. I believe that if given a 
chance, the people of the Middle East will embrace the most honorable 
form of government ever devised by man. 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.
    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. This is a time 
that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values 
that makes us 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 that is indelibly etched in my memory. I will never 
forget it. There were workers in hardhats yelling at me at the top of 
their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember a man grabbing me by the 
arm, and looked me in the eyes, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' 
Ever since that day, I have awakened, working as hard as I possibly can 
to protect this country. I will never relent in defending America, 
whatever it takes.

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    Four years ago, when I traveled your great State, I said if you gave 
me a chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of the 
office to which I had been elected. With your help, with your hard work, 
I will do so for 4 more years.
    Thanks for coming. God bless. God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 9:13 a.m. at the Lea County Event Center. 
In his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made 
the keynote address at the Republican National Convention; Gov. Jeb Bush 
of Florida; Cynthia Pearce, wife of Representative Steve Pearce; Randy 
Neugebauer, candidate for Congress in Texas' Nineteenth Congressional 
District; country music entertainer Mark Wills; Senator Jeff Bingaman of 
New Mexico; Charles Duelfer, Special Advisor to the Director of 
Intelligence; Prime Minister Ayad Allawi of the Iraqi Interim 
Government; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan. He also 
referred to the ``Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI 
on Iraq's WMD,'' issued September 30.