[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 44 (Monday, November 1, 2004)]
[Pages 2573-2579]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
<R04>
Remarks in Greeley, Colorado
October 25, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming today. Laura and I
are so honored so many came out to say hello. You have lifted our
spirits. Thank you for being here. It's great to be here in Greeley,
Colorado. You know, I am told the last sitting President to visit
Greeley was Franklin D. Roosevelt, who came right before he won his
second term. With your help, history will be repeated.
And that's what we are here to do; we're here to ask for your help.
We'd like you to get your friends and neighbors to go to the polls.
Remind them we have a duty in our democracy to vote. When you get them
headed to the polls, tell them if they want a safer America, a stronger
America and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
So Laura and I were in the seventh grade together in west Texas. And
then we became reacquainted when she--she was a public school librarian
at the time. I asked her to marry me. She said, ``Fine, but make me one
promise.'' I said, ``What is that?'' She said, ``Promise me I'll never
have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you've got
a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. She's given a
lot of speeches, and when she does, the American people see a strong,
compassionate, great First Lady.
I am proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. Look, I readily concede
that he does not have the waviest hair in the race. [Laughter] But
you'll be pleased to know I didn't pick him because of his hairdo. I
picked him because of his judgment, his experience. He's getting the job
done for the American people.
You know, Laura, and I were able to welcome the Giulianis to our
ranch in Crawford, Texas, last night. We know him more--I know him
better than I knew him as mayor. I know him as a person, a
compassionate, strong leader. I am proud to have Rudy and Judith
Giuliani traveling with us. I'm proud to have your support, Mr. Mayor.
And I appreciate your great service to our country.
And like the mayor, I recognize that you've got a great Governor in
Governor Bill Owens, and I want to thank his wife, Frances, and
daughter, Monica, and son, Brett, for being with us today.
I want to thank Senator Wayne Allard for his great service to the
State of Colorado. And his wife, Joan, is with us today. I'm proud to
stand with the next Senator from Colorado, Pete Coors. I appreciate
Marilyn being here. And when he wins, he'll be taking the place of a
fine man in Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell. And I know you're proud of
the Congresswoman from this district, Marilyn Musgrave. We're proud
you're here, Marilyn. I appreciate Steve being here.
I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor. I want to thank all the
State and local officials who are here. I appreciate Congressman Bob
Schaffer for being here. Congressman, I appreciate working together to
make sure this party stays united coming down the stretch.
I want to thank Mark Wills, the country and western singer who is
here. He likes to sing in a part of the world where the cowboy hats
outnumber the ties. I want to thank Kenny Cordova & The Olde Rock Band.
I'm proud to be up here with a man who can hit that baseball in Todd
Helton. We got to know him a little while back; we had he and his wife
to the White House for dinner. And he can sure play. [Laughter]
[[Page 2574]]
I want to thank those who wear the uniform who are with us here
today. Thank you for your service. I want to thank the veterans who are
here today for having set such a great example. I want to thank the
military families who are here today, for your sacrifice.
But most of all, I want to thank the rest of you for coming. I
appreciate what you have done on behalf of our campaign and what you're
going to do. Keep putting up the signs, making the phone calls, turning
out the vote, and we're going to win a great victory on November the 2d.
We're coming down the stretch in the last week of this campaign. I
will continue to talk about my vision for a more hopeful America. I am
committed to low taxes, spending discipline. I'm committed to a sound
energy policy that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
In a new term, we'll continue to work to make sure our farmers and
ranchers can make a decent living. In a new term, we'll continue to work
to make sure the entrepreneurial spirit in America is strong so small
businesses can thrive and succeed. In a new term, we'll stay on the path
of reform and results in our schools so no child is left behind in
America. In a new term, we'll make sure health care is more affordable
and accessible for all our families and small businesses. In a new term,
we'll keep the promise of Social Security for our seniors and strengthen
the system for our children and our grandchildren. We will protect
marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society. And I'll
name judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the
strict interpretation of the law.
And all the progress we hope to make depends on the security of our
Nation. We face enemies who hate our country and would do anything to
harm us. I'll fight these enemies with every asset of our national
power, and we will do our duty and protect the American people.
In the last 4 years, we've been through a lot of history. We saw a
ruthless, sneak attack on the United States. We learned of heroism on
doomed airplanes. We saw the bravery of rescuers running toward danger.
We've seen our military bring freedom to the oppressed and justice to
our enemies. Our Nation has shown our character to the world. We are
proud to be Americans.
Now we are nearing the first Presidential election since September
the 11th, 2001. The people of the United States will choose the leader
of the free world in the middle of a global war. The choice is not only
between two candidates; it is between two directions in the conduct of
the war on terror. Will America return to the defensive, reactive mind
set that sought to manage the dangers to our country?
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Or will we fight a real war with the goal of victory?
In every critical aspect, in every critical respect, my opponent and
I see the war on terror differently, and the Americans need to consider
these differences as they make a vital choice. First, I believe that
America wins wars by fighting on the offensive. When I saw those images
of the fire and death on September the 11th, I made a decision: Our
country will not sit back and wait for future attacks; we will prevent
those attacks by going after the enemy.
We are waging a global campaign from the mountains of Central Asia
to the deserts of the Middle East, from the Horn of Africa to the
Philippines. And those efforts are succeeding. Since September the 11th,
2001, more than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates
have been brought to justice, and the rest of them know we're on their
trail.
After September the 11th, we set a new direction for American policy
and enforced a doctrine that is clear to all: ``If you supported or
harbored terrorists, you are equally guilty of terrorist murder.'' We
destroyed the terror camps that trained thousands of killers in
Afghanistan. We removed the Taliban from power. We have persuaded
Governments in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to recognize the enemy and to
join the fight. We ended the regime of Saddam Hussein, which sponsored
terror. America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a
prison cell. We sent a clear message to Libya, which has now given up
its weapons of mass destruction programs. We have acted through
diplomacy and force to shrink the area where
[[Page 2575]]
the terrorists can freely operate. And that strategy has the terrorists
on the run.
My opponent has a different view.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He says that fighting terrorists in the Middle East,
America has, quote, ``created terrorists where they did not exist,'' end
quote.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. This is his argument, that terrorists are somehow
less dangerous or fewer in number if America avoids provoking them.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. But this represents a fundamental misunderstanding of
the enemy. We are dealing with killers who have made the death of
Americans the calling of their lives. If America were not fighting these
killers west of Baghdad and in the mountains of Afghanistan and
elsewhere, what does Senator Kerry think they would do? Would they be
living productive lives of service and charity? [Laughter] Would the
terrorists who behead innocent people on camera just be quiet, peaceful
citizens if we had not liberated Iraq?
Audience members. No-o-o!
The President. We are fighting these terrorists with our military in
Afghanistan and Iraq and beyond so we do not have to face them in the
streets of our own cities.
America is not to blame for terrorist hatred, and no retreat by
America would appease them. We don't create terrorists by fighting them.
We defeat the terrorists by fighting them.
Our second big difference concerns Iraq. Victory in Iraq is
essential to victory in the war on terror. We have a strategy to achieve
that victory. The stakes in that country are high. If a terror regime
were allowed to reemerge in Iraq, terrorists would again find a home, a
source of funding, and vital support; they would correctly conclude that
free nations do not have the will to defend themselves.
As Iraq succeeds as a free society in the heart of the Middle East,
an ally in the war on terror, and a model of hopeful reform in a
troubled region, the terrorists will suffer a crushing defeat, and every
free nation will be more secure.
We are still confronting serious violence from determined enemies.
Yet, the Iraqi Interim Government, with American and coalition support,
is making progress week by week. Along with Iraqi forces, we're on the
offensive in Fallujah, North Babil. We've restored Government control in
Samarra, Tall `AFar, and Najaf. More than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers,
police, and border guards are already trained, equipped, and bravely
serving their country. More than 200,000 will be in place by the end of
next year. An Iraqi independent electoral commission is up and running.
Political parties are planning campaigns. A free and fair Iraq elections
will be held on schedule this January.
The desperate executions of unarmed Iraqi security forces show the
evil nature of the terrorists we fight. It proves these terrorists are
enemies of the Iraqi people and the American people and everyone who
loves freedom. The terrorist insurgents hate our progress, and they
fight our progress, but they will not stop our progress. We will stay on
the offense against these terrorists, and we will prevail. We will help
the Iraqis get on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as
possible, and then our troops will return home with the honor they have
earned.
My opponent has a different view.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. The Senator calls America's missions in Iraq a
``mistake,'' a ``diversion,'' a ``colossal error.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And then he says he's the right man to win the war?
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. You cannot win a war you do not believe in fighting.
On Iraq, my opponent has a strategy of pessimism and retreat.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He's talked about artificial timetables to pull our
troops out. He has sent the signal that America's overriding goal in
Iraq would be to leave, even if the job is not done.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. That sends the wrong message. It sends the wrong
message to Iraqis who need to know that America will
[[Page 2576]]
not cut and run. That sends the wrong message to the troops of our
coalition who need to know that we will honor their sacrifice by
completing the mission. My opponent has the wrong strategy for the wrong
country at the wrong time.
On this vital front of the war on terror, protest is not a policy,
retreat is not a strategy, and failure is not an option. As long as I'm
the Commander in Chief, America will never retreat in the face of the
terrorists.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Third, American leadership is indispensable to
winning the war on terror. Ever since September the 11th, 2001, America
has sounded a certain trumpet. We've stated clearly the challenge to
civilization. We've rallied many nations to oppose it. More than 90
nations are actively engaged in the war on terror. All 26 nations of
NATO have personnel in either Iraq, Afghanistan, or both. NATO has taken
leadership of an international force in Afghanistan, the first out-of-
area deployment in the history of our Alliance. Japan has deployed
forces in Iraq, the first overseas mission in the history of their
democracy. Forces from South Korea are there. America has led. Many have
joined. And America and the world are safer.
My opponent takes a different approach.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He believes that instead of leading with confidence,
America must submit to what he calls a ``global test.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I'm not making that up. [Laughter] I was standing
right here when he said it. As far as I can tell, that means our country
must get permission from foreign capitals before we act in our own
defense.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. As President, I will always work with other
countries. I will seek their advice. But there is a world of difference
between working with good allies and giving a few reluctant nations veto
power over our national security. I will never, never submit our
national security decisions to veto of a foreign government.
In addition to a ``global test,'' my opponent promises what he calls
a ``golden age'' of diplomacy, to charm critical governments all over
the world.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I don't see much diplomatic skill in Senator Kerry's
habit of insulting America's closest friends. He's called the countries
serving alongside us in Iraq, quote, ``a trumped up coalition of the
bribed, the coerced, the bought, and the extorted.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Even last week, my opponent said that we have, quote,
``hardly anyone with us in Iraq.'' That is a deeply offensive way to
treat some 30 nations that are in Iraq, and especially the 14 nations
that have lost forces in our cause. How can Senator Kerry denigrate the
contributions led by the likes of Tony Blair of Great Britain, John
Howard of Australia, Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, Aleksander Kwasniewski
of Poland, and then expect other leaders to stand with America in the
future? You cannot expand an alliance by showing contempt for those
already in it. In this time of challenge to civilization, America has
found strong and responsible allies, and they deserve the respect of all
Americans, not the scorn of a politician.
Fourth, I believe that America will gain long-term security by
promoting freedom and hope and democracy in the broader Middle East. Our
country needs to look ahead. And 20 years from now, if the Middle East
is dominated by dictators and mullahs who build weapons of mass
destruction and harbor terrorists, our children and grandchildren will
live in a nightmare world of danger. That doesn't have to happen.
By taking the side of reformers and democrats in the Middle East,
we'll gain allies in the war on terror and isolate the ideology of
murder and help defeat the despair and hopelessness that feeds terror.
By spreading freedom, by spreading liberty, the world will become a much
safer place for future generations. Progress in the broader Middle East
toward freedom will not come easily. Yet, that progress is coming faster
than many would have said possible. Across a troubled region, we're
seeing a movement toward elections, greater rights for women, and open
discussion of peaceful reform. The election in Afghanistan this month
and the election
[[Page 2577]]
in Iraq next January will be counted as landmark events in the history
of liberty.
My opponent looks at things differently.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He's not only skeptical of democracy in Iraq; he has
not made democracy a priority for his foreign policy. But what is his
long-term answer to the threat of terror? Is he content to watch and
wait as anger and resentment grow for more decades? Is he content to
wait as more and more people are angry and hostile and turn to
terrorism? Is he content to wait until radicals without conscience gain
the weapons to kill without limit? Ignoring the root causes of terror,
turning a blind eye to the oppression and despair of millions may be
easier in the short run, but we learned on September the 11th, if
violence and fanaticism are not opposed at their source, they will find
us where we live.
Instead of offering his own agenda for freedom, my opponent
complains that we are trying to, quote, ``impose democracy on the people
of the broader Middle East.'' Is that what he sees in Afghanistan,
unwilling people having democracy forced upon them? We did remove the
Taliban by force, but democracy is rising in that country because the
Afghan people, like people everywhere, want to live in freedom. No one
forced them to register by the millions or to stand in long lines
waiting to vote. For many people, that historic election was a day they
will never forget. One man in western Kabul arrived to vote at 7 a.m. He
said, ``I don't want''--he said, ``I didn't sleep all night. I wanted to
be the first in my polling station.'' My fellow citizens, freedom is on
the march, and it is changing the world.
We are witnessing big and hopeful events. Yet, my opponent refuses
to see them. I believe that people across the Middle East are weary of
poverty and oppression. I believe everybody wants to be free. Freedom is
not America's gift to the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to
each man and woman in this world.
Our fifth great difference concerns the role of the Presidency. A
President has to lead with consistency and strength. In a war, sometimes
your tactics will change, but not your principles. Americans have seen
how I do my job. Even when you might not agree with me, you know what I
believe, where I stand, and what I intend to do. On good days and on bad
days, whether the polls are up or down, I am determined to win the war
on terror, and I will always support the men and women who do the
fighting.
My opponent has taken a different approach.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. It's fair to say that consistency has not been his
strong point. [Laughter] Senator Kerry says that we are better off with
Saddam Hussein out of power, except when he declares that removing
Saddam made us less safe.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Senator Kerry stated in our second debate that he
always believed that Saddam Hussein was a threat, except a few questions
later, when he said Saddam Hussein was not a threat. [Laughter] He says
he was right when he voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam
Hussein, but that I was wrong to use force against Saddam Hussein.
[Laughter] Now my opponent is throwing out the wild claim that he knows
where bin Laden was in the fall of 2001--[laughter]--and that our
military had a chance to get him in Tora Bora. This is an unjustified
and harsh criticism of our military commanders in the field. This is the
worst kind of Monday morning quarterbacking, and it is what we've come
to expect from Senator Kerry.
In fact, our Commander in Afghanistan, General Tommy Franks recently
wrote, quote, ``The Senator's understanding of events do not square with
reality.'' He was talking about Tora Bora. The General says that
American Special Forces were actively involved in the search of
terrorists in Tora Bora, and that intelligence reports at the time
placed bin Laden in any of several countries.
Before Senator Kerry got into political difficulty and revised his
views, he saw Tora Bora differently. In the fall of 2001, on national
TV, Senator Kerry said, quote, ``I think we have been doing this pretty
effectively, and we should continue to do it that way.'' At the time,
Senator Kerry said about Tora Bora, ``I think we've been smart. I think
administration leadership has done well, and we
[[Page 2578]]
are on the right track,'' end quote. All I can say is that I am George
W. Bush, and I approve of that message.
Yet, Senator Kerry's record on national security has a far deeper
problem than election-year flip-flopping. On the largest national
security issues of our time, he has been consistently and dangerously
wrong. When Ronald Reagan was confronting the Soviet Union at the height
of the cold war, Senator Kerry said that President Reagan's policy of
peace through strength was making America less safe.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And he voted against many of the weapons systems
critical to our defense buildup. History has shown that Senator Kerry
was wrong, and President Reagan was right.
When former President Bush led a coalition against Saddam Hussein in
1991, Senator Kerry voted against the use of force to liberate Kuwait.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. If his view had prevailed, Saddam Hussein today would
dominate the Middle East and possess the world's most dangerous weapons.
History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and former President
Bush was right.
In 1994, just one year after the first bombing of the World Trade
Center, Senator Kerry proposed massive cuts in America's intelligence
budget----
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. ----so massive that even his Massachusetts colleague,
Ted Kennedy, opposed them. [Laughter] History has shown that Senator
Kerry was wrong and--we've got to be fair--[laughter]--Senator Kennedy
was right.
Just last year, American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan needed $87
billion for body armor, hazard pay, vehicles, weapons, and bullets.
First, Senator Kerry said, ``It would irresponsible to vote against the
troops.'' Then he voted against the troops.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Then he said, ``I actually did vote for the $87
billion, before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] History has shown that
Senator Kerry was right, then wrong--[laughter]--then briefly right--
[laughter]--then wrong again. [Laughter]
Since then, the Senator has said the whole matter about the $87
billion is a complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about
supporting our troops in combat.
During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision
for America, Senator Kerry has chosen the position of weakness and
inaction. With that record, he stands in opposition not just to me but
to the great tradition of the Democratic Party. The party of Franklin
Roosevelt and Harry Truman and John Kennedy is rightly remembered for
confidence and resolve in times of war and in hours of crisis. Senator
Kerry has turned his back on ``pay any price'' and ``bear any burden.''
And he has replaced those commitments with ``wait and see'' and ``cut
and run.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Many Democrats in this country do not recognize their
party anymore. Today I want to speak to every one of them: If you
believe that America should lead with strength and purpose and
confidence in our ideals, I would be honored to have your support, and I
ask for your vote.
All the differences I outlined today add up to one big difference:
Senator Kerry says that September the 11th did not change him much at
all.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And his policies make that clear. He says the war on
terror is primarily a law enforcement and intelligence gathering
operation. His top foreign policy adviser says, ``The war is just a
metaphor, like the war on poverty.'' The Senator's goal is to go back to
the mindset of the 1990s, when terrorism was seen as a nuisance, and we
fought with subpoenas and a few cruise missiles.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. There is a major problem with that. The era of calm
he longs for was only a shallow illusion of peace. We know that
throughout the 1990s, the terrorists were training and plotting against
us. They saw our complacency as weakness. And so their plans became more
ambitious and their attacks more deadly, until, finally, the Twin Towers
became Ground Zero and the Pentagon was in flames. My outlook was
changed on September the 11th.
[[Page 2579]]
A few days after the attacks, I stood with Rudy where the buildings
fell. He'll never forget that day, and neither will I. I'll never forget
the evil of the enemy and the suffering of our people. I know we're not
fighting a metaphor. And I remember the hard--workers in hardhats there
yelling at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' A fellow
grabbed me by the arm, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' From that
day forward, I have gotten up every morning thinking about how to better
protect our country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever
it takes.
In a new term, we will finish the work we have started. We will
stand against terror. We will stand for freedom and peace. And on
November 2d, my fellow Americans, I ask you stand with me.
God bless. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 10:14 a.m. at the Island Grove Regional
Park Community Events Center. In his remarks, he referred to former
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York City, and his wife, Judith; Gov.
Bill Owens and Lt. Gov. Jane Bergman Norton of Colorado; Marilyn Coors,
wife of Colorado senatorial candidate Pete Coors; Steven E. Musgrave,
husband of Representative Marilyn N. Musgrave; former Representative Bob
Schaffer, senatorial candidate in Colorado; professional baseball player
Todd Helton and his wife, Christy; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the
United Kingdom; Prime Minister John Howard of Australia; Prime Minister
Silvio Berlusconi of Italy; President Aleksander Kwasniewski of Poland;
Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist network; and Gen.
Tommy R. Franks, USA, (Ret.), former combatant commander, U.S. Central
Command.