[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 45 (Monday, November 8, 2004)]
[Pages 2782-2783]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks to Campaign Volunteers and an Exchange With Reporters in 
Columbus, Ohio

November 2, 2004

    The President. Thank you all for doing this. Listen, we've come to 
thank our volunteers here in Ohio. They represent thousands of people 
all across the country who are making the calls and turning out the 
vote. I have been uplifted by the fact that thousands of people are 
working on my behalf and the fact that thousands pray for me and Laura 
and our country.
    One of the best ways to help send a signal about how appreciative I 
am is to come and thank people in person. Obviously, Ohio is an 
important State. It's a State that we intend to carry. I know we've got 
a lot of work to do. There's a lot of people, as you can tell, in this 
building, working hard in Columbus, and they're working hard all across 
the State of Ohio. So this is an exciting time. The polls will be 
closing in 5 or 6 hours--however long it is. [Laughter] And I'm 
confident we'll carry Ohio, and I'm confident we'll carry the Nation. 
And I look forward to leading this Nation for 4 more years. I'm running 
because I've got more to do, more to--more work to be done to keep this 
country secure, more work to be done to make sure prosperity reaches 
every corner of the land.
    I want to thank all our supporters here in Ohio for their hard work.

Legal Issues

    Q. Are you getting updates on legal wrangling out there on the 
plain?
    The President. No, I really haven't. Call my lawyer. [Laughter]

Turnout for the 2004 Election

    Q. Sir, does a big turnout help both sides, and should it?

[[Page 2783]]

    The President. Listen, I am for a turnout as big as possible. I 
believe everybody should vote. We have a duty in this country to vote. I 
hope every citizen in Ohio and elsewhere does their duty. And I think 
it's--and I think we'll have a good turnout, and I will be grateful if 
there's a big turnout. I think it's good for our system.

Election Outcome

    Q. Is it going to be a divided country, no matter what happens, if 
it's a close election?
    The President. Oh, you know, I was asked that question by another 
one of the pundits earlier, trying to guess about the outcome of the 
election. You need to talk to the experts. I can just tell you what I've 
seen. I've seen enthusiasm, a willingness for people to put in extra 
hours of work. And we'll find out how it goes tonight. This election is 
in the best of hands: It's in the hands of the voters of Ohio and voters 
all around the country.
    Q. Sir, you may think you're no pundit, but you've clearly paid 
pretty close attention. Give us a sense of how involved you are in 
tracking the numbers and voter turnout and----
    The President. Well, David [David Gregory, NBC News], since I last 
talked to you, which was outside the voting booth in Crawford--
[laughter]--which was a couple of hours ago, I've had a couple of cups 
of coffee. I spent some quality time with my wife. I am going to run 
this race out to its fullest. I will be able to--both of us will be able 
to say that we campaigned as hard as we possibly could. I have made the 
differences as clear as possible about why I think I am the best leader 
for the country for the next 4 years. You know, we'll find out tonight 
what the American people think, and I'm looking forward to it.
    Thank you all.

Note: The President spoke at 11:42 a.m. at the Ohio Bush-Cheney '04 
campaign headquarters. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of these remarks.