[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 44 (Monday, November 1, 2004)]
[Pages 2610-2616]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks in Cuba City, Wisconsin

October 26, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for coming. I am honored you're here. 
Thanks for coming today. You know, Cuba City is known as the City of the 
Presidents. Kind of makes sense that a President stops in to say hello, 
doesn't it? A few months ago, I was the first sitting President to pass 
through Cuba City. Today I'm the first sitting President to stop in and 
give a speech. And I'm looking forward to signing my name to the shield 
of the 43d President.
    As I'm traveling your beautiful State asking for the vote and I'm 
asking for your help, I'd like to encourage you to get your friends and 
neighbors to go to the polls. We have a duty in this democracy to vote. 
We have an obligation. When you get them headed to the polls, don't 
overlook discerning Democrats--[laughter]--people like Zell Miller, the 
Senator from Georgia who is strongly for my candidacy. Remind people if 
they want a safer America, a stronger America, and a better America, to 
put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
    Listen, I'm going to give you--I've been traveling Wisconsin a lot, 
giving people reasons to put me back into office. But perhaps the most 
important one of all is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more 
years. When I asked her to marry me, she said, ``Fine, just make me a 
promise.'' I said, ``What is it?'' She said, ``Promise me I'll never 
have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Fine, you know, 
you've got a deal.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to the deal. 
[Laughter] She is giving a lot of speeches. And when she does, the 
American people see what I know, that she is compassionate; she is warm; 
she is a strong, great First Lady.

[[Page 2611]]

    I asked Tommy to take on a tough job in Washington, DC, and he's 
done a heck of a job. I'm proud of Tommy Thompson. My only problem with 
being around Tommy, all he wants to do is talk about Wisconsin football. 
And of course he did have to bring up the Packers-Cowboy game as well, 
played right there at Lambeau Field. [Laughter]
    I want to thank Steve Freese for his introduction. I appreciate his 
service to your community in the statehouse. I want to thank my friend 
Mark Green, Congressman Mark Green, who's traveling with us. Thanks for 
coming, Mark.
    I want to thank the mayor, Dick Davis. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for 
being here. It's kind for you to come. I want to thank the members of 
the City of Presidents Committee--right there. Thank you all.
    I'm traveling with a fine man and his wife, Tim and Barbara Michels. 
He is going to make a great United States Senator. I appreciate him 
coming. And I want to thank my friend Dale Schultz, who will also make a 
great Congressman in the Third Congressional District.
    I want to thank Sam McGrew, the superintendent of schools. 
Appreciate you being here, Mr. Superintendent. I want to remind you, Mr. 
Superintendent, when it came time to pick a Secretary of Education, I 
picked a superintendent of schools. And the reason why I did is because 
I understand local control of schools is important, and I understand a 
superintendent of a school district understands education firsthand. And 
I appreciate your service.
    And I want to thank Tim Hazen, the principal of the Cuba City High 
School. Thank you, sir. [Applause] That's a good sign, when the students 
are cheering for you. [Laughter] I want to thank the--Danielle 
Wallenhorst, the student council president. Madam President, thank you 
for greeting me. Oh, there she is. Yes, there she is, good. Listen, I 
understand the football team has got a game tonight. I wish you all the 
best. Good luck to you. And as Tommy pointed out, the volleyball team 
here is really good too. I appreciate you being here.
    Listen, thanks for coming. We're coming down the stretch in this 
campaign. And there are different candidates running with different 
points of view. You know where I stand, and sometimes, you even know 
where my opponent stands. [Laughter]
    Now, we both have records. I'm running on mine. He's running from 
his, and there's a reason why. There is a mainstream in American 
politics. The fellow I'm running against sits on the far left bank. I'm 
a compassionate conservative and proudly so.
    I have a positive and optimistic vision for our future, a 
comprehensive strategy for victory in Iraq and for victory in the wider 
war against terror, a plan to make sure our economy continues to grow so 
that hope spreads its wings in every corner of America. My opponent has 
no plan, no vision, just a long list of complaints. But a Monday morning 
quarterback has never led any team to victory.
    This election comes down to five clear choices for your families, 
for America's families: your family's security; your family budget; your 
quality of life; your retirement; and the bedrock values that makes this 
a great country.
    The first clear choice is the most important one because it concerns 
the security of your family. All progress on every other issue depends 
on the safety of our citizens. This will be the first Presidential 
election since September the 11th, 2001. Americans will go to the polls 
in a time of war and ongoing threats. The terrorists who killed 
thousands of innocent people are still dangerous, and they're 
determined. The outcome of this election will set the direction of the 
war on terror. The most solemn duty of the American President is to 
protect the American people. If America shows weakness or uncertainty in 
this decade, this world of ours will drift toward tragedy. That's not 
going to happen on my watch.
    Our strategy is clear. We've strengthened the protections of our 
homeland. We're reforming our intelligence capabilities. We're 
transforming our military. There will be no draft. The All-Volunteer 
Army will remain the All-Volunteer Army. We are relentless. We are 
determined. We're staying on the offensive. We're defeating the 
terrorists overseas so we do not have to face them here in our own 
country. And we're making progress. More than three-quarters of Al

[[Page 2612]]

Qaida's key members and associates have been brought to justice, and the 
rest of them can be certain of this: We're on their trail.
    A President has to lead with consistency and strength. In war, your 
tactics change but never your principles. Americans have seen how I do 
my job. Even when you don't agree with me, you know what I believe, 
where I stand, and what I intend to do. On the good days and on the bad 
days, when the polls are up or the polls are down, I am determined to 
win this war on terror, and I will always support the men and women who 
wear our Nation's uniform.
    My opponent in this campaign has taken a different approach. It's 
fair to say that consistency has not been his strong point. [Laughter] 
Senator Kerry says we're better off with Saddam Hussein out of power, 
except when he declares that removing Saddam makes us less safe. In our 
second debate, he said he always believed that Saddam was a threat, 
except a few questions later when he said Saddam 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 he's saying he knew where bin Laden was in the fall of 2001 and 
that our military passed up a chance to get him at Tora Bora. Let me 
talk about that for a minute. That's unjustified criticism of our 
military commanders in the field. This is the worst kind of Monday 
morning quarterbacking. In fact, our commander in Afghanistan, General 
Tommy Franks, recently wrote this about Tora Bora: ``The Senator's 
understanding of events does not square with reality.'' The general says 
that American Special Forces were actively involved in the search for 
the terrorists in Tora Bora, and the 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 our actions in Tora Bora differently. In the fall of 2001, 
on national TV, he said this about Tora Bora: ``I think we have been 
doing this pretty effectively, and we should continue to do it that 
way.'' At the time, the Senator said this about Tora Bora: ``I think 
we've been smart. I think the administration leadership has done it 
well, and we are on the right track.'' All I can say to that is, I am 
George W. Bush, and I approve of that message. [Laughter]
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I want to thank those who wear the Nation's uniform 
that have joined us today. I appreciate your service. I want to thank 
the veterans who are here, who have set such a great example for those 
who wear the uniform. And I want to thank the military families who are 
with us today as well.
    And I made a pledge to our troops and their families that they would 
have all they need to do their jobs and to complete their missions. 
That's why I went to the United States Congress and proposed $87 billion 
of supplemental funding to support our troops in harm's way. It was 
necessary funding. It was really important and so important that we got 
great bipartisan support for the vote--on the vote to fund the money. As 
a matter of fact, it was so strong that only 12 Members of the United 
States Senate voted against it. As you're out rounding up the vote, I 
want you to remind the people of this important part of the State of 
this startling statistic: 4 Members of the United States Senate, 4 out 
of 100, voted to authorize the use of force and then voted against 
supporting our troops in harm's way--only 4, 2 of whom are my opponent 
and his runningmate.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. They asked him, they said, ``Well, how could you have 
made that vote?'' And he said perhaps the most famous quote of the 2004 
campaign--[laughter]--``I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before 
I voted against it.'' [Laughter] Now, look, I didn't spend any time in 
the coffee shops around Cuba City, but I suspect you're not going to 
find many people who talk that way here. [Laughter]
    He's given several explanations--you can't be calibrating the polls 
when it comes time to be supporting our troops. They said, well, when 
did he start changing his mind? Well, he started changing his mind about 
his position when it looked like he was losing to Howard Dean in the 
Democrat primary, right about the time this vote came up. See, earlier 
on TV, prior to the vote, he said it would be irresponsible not to 
support our

[[Page 2613]]

troops in combat. And sure enough, he took a look at the polls and 
decided not to support our troops in combat. A President must be 
consistent. A President must be willing to stand for what he believes.
    In the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge--now remember, my 
opponent opposed President Ronald Reagan's doctrine of peace through 
strength. He didn't support removing Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, even 
though the international community united in concert. In moments of 
challenge and decision, he has chosen the path of weakness and inaction. 
Now, look, his record not only stands in opposition to me but in 
opposition to the great tradition of the Democrat Party of America. The 
party of Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman and John Kennedy is rightly 
remembered for confidence and resolve in times 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.''
    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'd 
be honored to have your support, and I'm asking for your vote.
    We have big differences--we have differences in this campaign about 
how to keep you secure, and the differences are clear. Senator Kerry 
says that September the 11th did not change him much at all. Those are 
his words. And the policies make it clear. He said that the war on 
terror is primarily a law enforcement and intelligence gathering 
operation. Well, I want to tell you something. My outlook changed on 
September the 11th. I understand the stakes. I understand the 
consequences of inaction. I understand the consequence of sending mixed 
signals.
    I remember standing in the ruins of the Twin Towers on September the 
14th, 2001. It's a day I will never forget. I will never forget the 
sights and the sounds. I will never forget the hardhats yelling at me at 
the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the guy 
looking at me straight in the eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' 
Ever since that day, I wake up every morning trying to figure out how to 
better protect our country. I will never relent in defending our 
security, whatever it takes.
    The second clear choice involves your budget. When I ran for 
President 4 years ago, I pledged to lower taxes for American families, 
and I kept my word. And remember what we have been through as an 
economy. Six months prior to my arrival, the stock market was in serious 
decline. And then we had a recession and corporate scandals and the 
attack on America, which cost us about a million jobs in the 3 months 
after September the 11th.
    But we acted. I led the Congress to reduce your taxes, and our 
economic policies have led us back to growth. Think about these 
statistics and remind your friends and neighbors about these statistics. 
We've created 1.9 million jobs in the last 13 months. Farm incomes are 
up all across America. The farmers are making a good living. 
Homeownership rate is at an alltime high. The entrepreneurial spirit is 
strong in America. Small businesses are flourishing. The national 
unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. Let me put that in perspective for 
you: That's lower than the average rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. 
The unemployment rate in Wisconsin is 5 percent.
    And one of the reasons Wisconsin is doing so well is because your 
small businesses are flourishing and because the farmers are making a 
living. In 4 years, we'll--the next 4 years, we'll continue to help our 
dairy farmers. I support the MILC program to help the dairy farmers here 
in Wisconsin. We will make sure--we'll continue to open up markets for 
Wisconsin's farmers. I understand a good farm economy is necessary for a 
good national economy.
    Look, we have a different point of view when it comes to taxes. My 
opponent has a different economic plan. It starts with the fact that he 
said he's going to raise taxes. And that's a promise most politicians 
keep. [Laughter] He's promised to spend $2.2 trillion in new money--
spending. That's trillion with a ``T.'' That's a lot even for a Senator 
from Massachusetts. [Laughter] And they asked him, ``How you going to 
pay for all that new spending?'' And he said, ``Oh, we're just going to 
tax the rich.'' You've heard that

[[Page 2614]]

before, haven't you? See, there's a difference between what he's 
promised and how much he can raise. He's promised 2.2 trillion, but by 
running up the top two brackets, he only raises about 600 to 800 billion 
dollars. There's a gap. Guess who usually fills the gap? The good news 
is, we're not going to let him tax you because we're going to carry 
Wisconsin and win a great victory on November the 2d.
    A third issue about the quality of our families and the life of our 
families is education and health care. When I ran for President 4 years 
ago, I promised to end the soft bigotry of low expectations in our 
schools. And I kept my word. The No Child Left Behind Act is a good, 
solid piece of legislation. It says in return for extra Federal money, 
schools must measure to show us whether or not our children are learning 
to read and write and add and subtract. You can't solve a problem until 
you diagnose the problem. And so by measuring early, we're correcting 
problems before they become too acute, before it is too late. And an 
achievement gap in America is closing all over America. People are 
learning to read and write and add and subtract, and we're not going to 
go back to the old days of mediocrity and low expectations in our 
schoolhouses.
    And I've got a commonsense way to help on health care. Most of the 
uninsured work for small businesses. Small businesses ought to be 
allowed to pool together to extend risk so they can buy insurance at the 
same discounts big companies get to do. I believe we ought to expand 
health savings accounts, low-premium, high-deductible, tax-free policies 
that enable people to manage and control their own health care. I know 
we're going to help the poor and the needy through community health 
centers and rural health centers. We're going to help sign up people for 
our low-income children's programs.
    But also to make sure health care is available and affordable to 
you, we've got to do something about these junk lawsuits that are 
running good doctors out of practice and running up the cost of 
medicine. I've met too many ob-gyns around our country that are quitting 
the practice of medicine because these lawsuits are running their 
premiums up too high on their insurance policy. They just can't 
practice. I met too many women who are wondering whether or not they're 
going to get the quality health care for themselves and their baby 
because ob-gyns are being run out of practice. This isn't right for 
America. You cannot be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-plaintiff-
attorney at the same time. You've got to make a choice. My opponent made 
his choice, and he put a personal-injury trial lawyer on the ticket.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I have made my choice. I'm standing with the doctors 
and the patients and the hospitals and the small-business owners. I am 
for medical liability reform--now.
    You know, in one of our debates, my opponent looked right in the 
camera and said his health care plan--about his health care plan, ``The 
Federal Government has nothing to do with it.'' You know, I could barely 
contain myself. [Laughter] See, I understand his plan. The Federal 
Government has got a lot to do with it. Eight out of ten people will be 
signed up on a Federal program. When you make it easier to get on 
Medicaid, small businesses will drop insurance for their employees 
because the Government will pay for it, and that will cause about 7 or 8 
million people to get on Medicaid. And when the Government starts 
writing the checks, the Government starts writing the rules. And then 
when the Government starts writing the rules, the Government starts 
making decisions for you. They start rationing health care. They decide 
what doctor you can go see. To me, that is the wrong prescription for 
health care in America.
    Here's what I believe. I believe when it comes to health care, the 
decisions ought to be between patients and doctors, not by officials in 
Washington, DC.
    The fourth clear choice involves your retirement. Our Nation has 
made a solemn commitment to our seniors on Social Security and Medicare. 
When I ran for President 4 years ago, I promised to keep that commitment 
and improve Medicare by adding prescription drugs. I kept my word. And I 
want to thank Tommy Thompson for his help. You know, you've heard this 
issue debated for years. Matter of fact, it became such a political hot 
potato they called Medicare,

[[Page 2615]]

``Mediscare.'' But Tommy and I ignored all that, and we decided to do 
what was right for our seniors. Seniors are now getting discounts on 
medicines with drug discount cards. Low-income seniors are getting $600 
this year to help them on their cards and $600 next year. And beginning 
in 2006, all seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage 
under Medicare.
    Let me talk about Social Security. You all might remember the 2000 
campaign here in Wisconsin, the ads that said, ``If George W. gets 
elected, our seniors are not going to get their checks.'' That's the 
old-style scare tactics. When you're out there talking to your friends 
and neighbors, remind them, George W. did get elected, and our seniors 
got their checks. And our seniors will continue to get their checks. And 
baby boomers like me, we're in pretty good shape when it comes to the 
Social Security trust.
    But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren when 
it comes to Social Security. When the baby boomers retire, it's going to 
be hard for the next generation to support us and then have a retirement 
system for their own. That's why we need a President to think 
differently about Social Security. I think younger workers ought to be 
allowed to take some of their own money and set up a personal savings 
account, an account that earns better interest, an account they call 
their own, an account the Government cannot take away.
    You know, we have a difference of opinion on Social Security. My 
opponent said he's going to protect Social Security, but what he forgot 
to tell you is he's voted eight times for higher taxes on Social 
Security benefits. That's part of that record. See, that's just--see, he 
doesn't want you to know the record. He can run, but he cannot hide. 
That's what I say. He can run from it, but he can't hide from it.
    And then he said, when it comes to Social Security, things are okay 
for the next generation. I think the job of a President * is to confront 
problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future 
generations. You've got to expect from your President somebody who is 
willing to take on the tough issue, not have their finger stuck in the 
wind trying to figure out which way the winds are blowing but somebody 
who is going to do what is right. And what is right is to protect Social 
Security for our seniors and make it viable for the younger citizens of 
this country.
    * White House correction.
    And finally, the final clear choice in this election is on the 
values that are crucial to keeping our families strong. And here my 
opponent and I are miles apart. I stand for the appointment of Federal 
judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict 
interpretation of the law. I believe marriage is a sacred commitment, a 
pillar of our civilization. I don't believe this is a partisan issue. As 
a matter of fact, when Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, 
defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman, the vast 
majority of Democrats supported it, and President Bill Clinton signed it 
into law. But Senator Kerry was part of an out-of-the-mainstream 
minority that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. Listen, reasonable people can find common ground on 
the most difficult of issues. Republicans and Democrats came together 
and agreed we should ban the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion. 
I proudly signed that bill. But my opponent was part of an out-of-the-
mainstream minority that voted against the ban.
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. See, we just have a difference of opinion, a big 
difference of opinion. I'll continue to reach out to Americans of every 
belief and move this goodhearted Nation toward a culture of life.
    My opponent said the heart and soul of America can be found in 
Hollywood. [Laughter] Most American families don't look to Hollywood as 
a source of values. [Laughter] The heart and soul of America is found in 
communities like Cuba City, Wisconsin.
    You know, one of my favorite quotes that I hope tells you what I 
believe and how I lead is by a fellow Texan named Tom Lea, and here's 
what he said. He said, ``Sarah and I live on the east side of the 
mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to 
see the day that is coming, not to see the day that has gone.'' That's 
how

[[Page 2616]]

I feel about this country, optimistic and hopeful. I know we can achieve 
anything we set our mind to. You know, in the last 4--nearly 4 years, 
we've come through a lot together. Because we've done the hard work of 
climbing the mountain, we see the valley below. And that valley is a 
valley full of prosperity and hope, a valley where people in this 
country feel comfortable about owning something, a valley where the 
entrepreneurial spirit is strong, where our families are strong. We're 
going to continue to spread freedom and liberty so we can achieve the 
peace that we all want for generations to come.
    Four years ago, when I traveled your State asking for the vote, I 
made you this pledge: I said I would restore the integrity to the Oval 
Office. With your help and with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more 
years.
    Thanks for coming. God bless. I appreciate it. Now I'm going to sign 
this shield.

Note: The President spoke at 2:43 p.m. at Cuba City High School. In his 
remarks, he referred to Wisconsin State Representative Stephen J. 
Freese; Mayor Richard Davis of Cuba City, WI; Samuel McGrew, district 
administrator, School District of Cuba City; former President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq; Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist 
organization; and Gen. Tommy R. Franks, USA, (Ret.), former combatant 
commander, U.S. Central Command.