[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 15 (Monday, April 17, 2006)]
[Pages 694-698]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Reception for Gubernatorial Candidate Jim Nussle in Des 
Moines

April 11, 2006

    Thank you all. Please be seated. Thanks for coming. Governor, I 
appreciate that introduction. I can't tell you how delighted I am to 
support Jim Nussle as the next Governor of the State of Iowa. He was 
there--he was there in Amana. No question about it. He introduced me. 
What he forgot to tell you was, he actually sang. [Laughter] He'll be 
known as the singing Governor of Iowa. [Laughter]
    I've gotten to know this man real well. I've seen him when the 
heat's on. You know, you can judge a person in Washington by how they 
react to pressure. Jim Nussle stands strong when there's pressure. You 
need a Governor of Iowa who can take the heat and lead this State to a 
better future, and that man is Jim Nussle.
    He's a proven leader. See, that's what the people of Iowa need. They 
need somebody to lead. He's proven himself to be a leader. He's got a 
record, something people can look at. The thing I like about him is, 
when he gives your word, he keeps it. When he looks you in the eye and 
says, ``Mr. President, I'm with you,'' he means it. What the people of 
Iowa need is a Governor who looks the people in the eye and says, ``This 
is what I intend to do,'' and then does what he says he's going to do in 
office, and that man is Jim Nussle.
    I like the fact he's getting Democrat support. I think you need a 
Governor who can reach across party lines to get things done. I was 
pleased to see Terry Duggan, the former mayor of Dubuque, is here 
tonight. He's a Democrat who's switching so he can support his friend 
Jim Nussle. That's the kind of Governor Nussle will be--he's the kind of 
person who sets clear agendas and clear goals and brings people together 
to achieve the goals. People in Iowa, like they are all across the 
country, are sick and tired of needless politics. What they want is 
leadership. And they'll get strong leadership in Jim Nussle as the 
Governor.
    And I'm proud to be with his wife, Karen, the next first lady of the 
State of Iowa. I know something about First Ladies--I'm married

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to one. [Laughter] And Laura sends her love. Nussle came out to the 
airport, and he said, ``Fine, I'm glad to have you here this time of the 
year, but when we're coming down the stretch, make sure you send the A 
Team.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Which one, Mother or Laura?'' [Laughter] He 
said, ``Both.'' [Laughter] They both want Jim Nussle to be the Governor 
of this important State. They know him well, and they admire him and 
like him. And Jim, Mother and Laura send their best.
    It's also a thrill to be here with your parents, Mark and Lori. You 
know, there's nothing better than having a strong family, coming down 
the stretch in a political campaign. And nothing, also, better than 
having a good runningmate, and it's an honor to be here with Bob Vander 
Plaats and his wife, Darla. Thank you all for being here. Good luck to 
you.
    I'll never forget campaigning in Iowa, and particularly in the 
caucuses in 2000. And I had the honor of campaigning with your United 
States Senator. And so we're driving down the road, and he said, ``Old 
Bill lives in that house, and Jim lives in that house. That's the 
Smiths' house over there.'' I've never been with a person who 
understands the grassroots and the people of Iowa better than Chuck 
Grassley. Senator, I'm thrilled to be here with you. Oh, there he is.
    And so we land at the airport, and Senator Grassley says, ``I want 
you to meet the next member of the statehouse from the 17th District.'' 
I said, ``I'm looking forward to that, Senator. Who is he?'' He said, 
``Well, it just happens to be my grandson, Pat Grassley.'' You're 
following the footsteps, Pat, of a really fine man in your grandfather. 
Good luck to you. All I can tell you is, they had Grassley in to talk 
about key issues facing the country, and he said, ``Before we talk about 
the key issues, I just want you to know, my grandson is going to be 
elected.'' [Laughter] The guy puts his family first, and I appreciate 
that.
    I'm also honored to be here with Congressman Steve King of Iowa. 
Where are you, Steve? There he is. Thanks for coming. I know when Nussle 
gets elected to be the Governor, he's going to be smart enough to call 
upon former Governor Bob Ray for advice. Bob Ray is here--thrilled 
you're here, Governor. Thanks for coming--one of the real class acts in 
Iowa politics.
    State Senator Jeff Lamberti, who's going to be the next United 
States Congressman from the 3d Congressional District, is with us.
    You know, one of the people that has impressed me the most here in 
Iowa politics is a fellow who's served as a State senator, but he left 
the party chairmanship of Iowa to go to Iraq. His country called; he 
said, ``Yes, sir, I want to serve''--and that's Chuck Larson.
    It's good to see the speaker is here. It's a good sign, Governor. 
When the speaker starts showing up before the elections, it's always a 
good sign something is in the air. And by the way, this is a huge crowd 
for a person running for Governor. And I want to thank you all for 
coming to support this good man. It's a good sign this early in the 
campaign to have such a big crowd.
    Speaker Chris Rants is here. Thanks for coming, Speaker. And I want 
to thank Chuck Gipp as well, the majority leader. You're going to have 
you a Governor you can work with and get some stuff done. I want to 
appreciate the State auditor--David, thanks for coming. It's proud to be 
with you again.
    I want to thank the party chairman; I want to thank the grassroots 
activists; I want to thank those who are getting ready to turn out the 
vote next fall for what you're going to do. You got to help this good 
man. You got to start manning the phones and putting up the signs at the 
right time. He's going to count on you to win this election. He cannot 
do it alone. And I want to thank those of you who have contributed to 
his campaign. It's hard to have a fundraiser this successful this early 
in the campaign season. It means you put together a good organization. 
And I want to thank those who put this fundraising dinner on. You know, 
it's nothing better than to be a candidate running for office and know 
that there's a lot of good folks standing with you. It's going to be the 
kind of thing that empowers the candidacy as it gets closer to the 
election. The fact that he's had this many folks show up is a good sign. 
And I want to thank you all for contributing to the next Governor of 
your State.

[[Page 696]]

    You know, I've gotten to see Nussle during some interesting times in 
our country--we are living in historic times. I wish I could report to 
you that this was a nation that wasn't at war, but we are. And it's a 
deadly serious war. It's a war that requires strong leadership and 
resolve. The war came to us on September the 11th, 2001, and we didn't 
ask for it, but it came unexpectedly. We lost more people on that day 
than we lost at Pearl Harbor. It's a day I'll never forget. And it's 
formulated how I think about foreign policy.
    I said to myself on that day that I would use all assets of national 
power to protect the American people. The most important job Jim and I 
have in Washington, DC, is to protect our country. And the best way to 
do that is to stay on the offense, is never relent, is never give in, is 
never hope for the best but to pursue the enemy until we bring them to 
justice.
    And Iraq is the central front on this broad war on terror. You know, 
I said this--I gave a speech the other day and in it I said something--I 
said, you know, I wonder why people--what kind of people is it who wants 
to stop democracy? In our country, we got to think about the nature of 
the type of person that can't stand liberty. What kind of people is it, 
when they see a chance for people to live in a free society, they do 
everything in their power to stop the advance of freedom? I'll tell you 
what kind of people it is--these are the kind of people who think the 
opposite of--they adhere to an ideology that's dark and dangerous.
    The enemy that we face has got plans. They got ambitions. They 
believe that democracies are weak. They believe it's a matter of time 
for the United States to withdraw, and by withdrawing, they would find 
safe haven from which to launch attacks again. We're not going to be 
intimidated by thugs and assassins. We will achieve victory in Iraq, and 
by achieving victory in Iraq, we will make it more secure for a 
generation of Americans.
    They hope that we lose our nerve. We will not lose our nerve. We 
will stand with the brave freedom fighters and democracy--democrats in 
Iraq--[applause].
    These are difficult times for the American people, and I understand 
that. The enemy cannot defeat us on the battlefield. The only thing they 
can do is kill innocent life and hope we retreat. We're not going to 
retreat. Victory in Iraq is vital for our security. We got one powerful 
weapon going for us besides our brave military, and that is liberty. Jim 
Nussle and I understand that liberty is universal, that there is an 
Almighty, and the Almighty's gift to each man and woman on the face of 
the Earth is freedom, that deep in everybody's soul is the desire to 
live in a free society. And we understand that as democracy takes hold 
in parts of the world that is desperate for freedom, we are laying the 
foundation of peace for a generation to come.
    The temptation in Washington, DC, is to try to make decisions based 
upon polls or focus groups. You cannot lead the Nation, nor can you lead 
a State, if you rely upon polls to tell you what to think. The thing I 
like about Jim Nussle is, he stands on principle. Principles will be the 
bedrock for his decisionmaking. You don't have to worry about this man--
kind of drift, trying to figure out what he thinks or what he believes. 
He'll lead this State to a better tomorrow because he's a man willing to 
stand on principle and make the hard decision and stand by it.
    I've got to see him when it comes time to spending your money. And 
he's pretty good about it. You know, the temptation--every program 
sounds great in Washington, by the way. And believe me, those 
appropriators in Washington, they love to appropriate. And that's why 
it's been important to have an ally on the budget in Jim Nussle. We have 
passed some lean budgets in Washington, DC, because we want to cut the 
deficit in half. But he's not going to fall into that trap that you hear 
coming out of the halls of legislatures all around the country that say, 
``In order to balance the budget, let's raise taxes.'' That's what 
you're going to hear out of Washington, DC. But that's not how 
Washington works. Yeah, they'll raise your taxes all right, but they'll 
also figure out ways to spend your money. The best way to balance this 
budget is to keep your taxes low so this economy grows and be wise about 
how we spend your money. And Jim Nussle is doing just that as the budget 
chairman of the House.

[[Page 697]]

    He's got a plan to reform the taxes of Iowa. He's got a plan to keep 
this State on the leading edge of economic vitality. And he's the kind 
of fellow that can take a plan and put it into action. You know, we were 
talking about education behind the stage. When I was the Governor of 
Texas, I used to say education is to a State what national defense is to 
the Federal Government. Nussle says, ``You bet, education is going to be 
my number-one priority.'' And it should be. It's really important to get 
it right. It's important to have a Governor who's willing to challenge 
the status quo when he sees failure and mediocrity. It's important to 
have a Governor set high standards. I love the idea of hearing a 
Governor-to-be who says, ``I'm going to make sure that Iowa is the 
center of excellence for public education in the United States of 
America.'' And there's no doubt in my mind he can get it done.
    Senator Grassley and I went over to watch some seniors sign up for 
Medicare. Jim Nussle and Senator Grassley and I have got a vision for 
health care for this country, and he's got a good vision for the State. 
We believe that the Government ought to fulfill its promises to seniors 
and the poor. But we also believe that Government shouldn't be telling 
the rest of us who our doctor ought to be and what the procedures ought 
to be. We believe in the doctor-patient relationship. It's going to be 
important to have a Governor who understands the power of health savings 
accounts and association health plans, who understands you can't have 
good medical care if you're driving good doctors out of the practice of 
medicine because of frivolous and junk lawsuits.
    You know, it's really interesting; I remember coming in the 2002 
campaign--we were talking about Medicare, and both Senator Grassley and 
Congressman Nussle said to me--they said, ``If you're going to write 
that law and modernize Medicare so that seniors have got prescription 
drug benefits, you make sure we do something about rural health care in 
Iowa and across the country.'' They were instrumental in making sure 
that Iowa hospitals were taken care of. You're about to have yourself a 
Governor who understands the importance of rural health care in the 
State of Iowa.
    I was trying to find Jim Nussle when I was giving my State of the 
Union. It's pretty close-in at the State of the Union. It looks like a 
big hall, but it's not. As a matter of fact, you can look them in the 
eye when you're giving the speech. And so I was trying to seek him out 
when I said, ``We got a problem; we're addicted to oil.'' See, he's 
been--he and Grassley have both been working on me for a long time about 
making sure that renewables become the centerpiece of our energy policy. 
I agree with them wholeheartedly. For the sake of economic security and 
for the sake of national security, we got to get off of Middle Eastern 
oil. And the best way to do so is with Iowa corn.
    A couple of corn growers popped up. [Laughter] And I'm earnest about 
this, and I look forward to working with Jim throughout the remainder of 
this congressional term to make sure we got ample money in our budgets 
for research and development. And we want to be using corn for ethanol; 
we want to be using cane; we want to be using biomass. He's got a vision 
for Iowa that makes sense, and it's a vision that's important for our 
country as well. And we got to put our mind to it. I'm looking forward 
to working with this Governor in this important agricultural State. I 
can't wait for the day for some President to say, ``Look, the crop--look 
at the crop report. We got a lot of corn, which means we're less 
dependent on foreign sources of energy.'' It is vital for this Nation to 
get off oil if we expect to be a competitive nation in the 21st century. 
And I'm looking forward to working with Jim Nussle.
    I think it's important to have you a Governor who understands that 
every life is precious and works to promote a culture of life in the 
State of Iowa. And that will be Jim Nussle. And I think it's important 
to have a Governor who understands the government can't do everything 
when it comes to helping heal broken hearts. The way I like to put it 
is, government can hand out money, but it can't put hope in a person's 
heart or a sense of purpose in a person's life. I think it's important 
to have a Governor who is able to elevate and capture that great 
compassion of the people of Iowa to help solve seemingly intractable 
problems. I think it's important

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to have a Governor who says, ``Fine, government has got a role, but a 
primary responsibility of the citizens is to love a neighbor who hurts, 
is to feed the hungry, find shelter for the homeless.''
    I think it's important to have a Governor who is willing to call 
upon the faith-based institutions of a State to say, ``Why don't you 
help us heal the addicted, find love for the person who needs love?'' 
Governments are law and justice; government isn't love. But fortunately 
for places like Iowa, there are thousands of loving people who look 
forward to be called to action, who look forward to rallying behind a 
Governor who says, ``Let us make this State the best State it can 
possibly be.'' And that Governor-to-be is Governor Jim Nussle.
    It's an honor to be with this good man. Thank you all for supporting 
him. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 5:05 p.m. at Hy-Vee Hall. In his remarks, 
he referred to Robert Vander Plaats, candidate for Lieutenant Governor 
of Iowa and his wife, Darla; Christopher Rants, speaker, and Chuck Gipp, 
majority leader, Iowa State House of Representatives; Iowa Auditor of 
State David A. Vaudt; and Ray Hoffman, chairman, Republican Party of 
Iowa.