[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 35 (Monday, September 4, 2006)]
[Pages 1531-1536]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Dinner for Senatorial Candidate Bob Corker and the 
Tennessee Republican Party in Nashville, Tennessee

August 30, 2006

    Thanks for the warm welcome. Appreciate you treating this Texan with 
such a warm Tennessee welcome. What Corker didn't tell you was, is that 
the first choice was Laura for the dinner--[laughter]--who, by the way, 
sends her love to all our friends and agrees with me that Bob Corker is 
the right man for the United States Senate for Tennessee.
    I think it makes sense to send somebody up to Washington who's not a 
lawyer. Nothing wrong with lawyers, but we got a lot of them up there. 
[Laughter] It makes sense to have somebody who understands how the 
economy works because he was a businessman. It makes sense to send 
somebody up there who understands how local communities work because he 
was the mayor of an important Tennessee city. It makes sense to send a 
man of integrity and decency to Washington, DC. And that man is Bob 
Corker.
    I'm proud to call him friend, and you'll be proud to call him United 
States Senator. And I want to thank you for your help. I thank you for 
giving of your money, and I urge you to give of your time. I know 
there's a lot of grassroots activists who are here. And Bob and 
Elizabeth are going to be counting on your help coming down the stretch. 
He's got the message; he's got the courage; but he's going to need you 
to put up the signs and make the phone calls and go to community centers 
and remind the good people of this State--Republican, Democrat, and 
independent--that when you have somebody of his caliber, they need to go 
to the polls and put him in office.
    So thanks for coming. Thanks for organizing this great dinner. And 
I'm proud to be here. And when Corker gets elected, he's going to be 
replacing one of the finest citizens your State has ever produced in 
Bill Frist. It's been my high honor to serve with him, and we're not 
through yet. He's going to get back up there in September and make sure 
we get legislation to help protect this country. It's been a joy working 
with a citizen like Bill. We're going to miss him in Washington, DC. But 
I take comfort in knowing that he'll be replaced by a fine citizen of 
this State in Bob Corker. Mr. Leader, thank you for your friendship, and 
thank you for your courage.
    I'm proud also to be here with members of the Tennessee 
congressional delegation, Congressman Jimmy Duncan, Congressman Zach 
Wamp, and Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn.
    Earlier I had the privilege of meeting a man who is running hard for 
Governor of this important State, and I ask you to support Senator Jim 
Bryson in his quest to be the Governor of the State of Tennessee. And by 
the way, Senator, if you want some good advice, you ought to turn to 
Winfield Dunn or Don Sundquist, members who served--people who served 
well in this important State. I'm glad those two former Governors are 
here. Thank you for coming.
    I'm also proud to be here with a man who served our country with 
such distinction as the Senate majority leader and under my 
administration as the Ambassador to Japan, and that would be Senator 
Howard Baker. I thank Senator Ron Ramsey for being here. He's the 
majority leader of the senate. I want to thank all the local folks and 
State folks who have come. Thanks for running; thanks for serving. I 
appreciate you working hard to make this State a fantastic place.
    I bring a message of optimism to you. I believe, and I know, our 
party is a political party that trusts the wisdom of the American 
people. Ours is a party that is willing to confront challenges instead 
of passing them on to future generations. Ours is the party with

[[Page 1532]]

a positive vision that makes a difference for every citizen of this 
country. I appreciate you supporting the Republican Party as you support 
Bob Corker.
    We face historic times here in this country. These are tough times. 
They're difficult times because we face an enemy that longs to hurt 
America. Much of my thinking about the world in which we live, of 
course, was shaped on that fateful day of September the 11th, 2001. It's 
a day I'll never forget. It's a day--after that day, I vowed to the 
American people that we will do whatever it takes to defend this country 
from further attack. And I need people in the United States Senate 
standing by--side by side who understand our most important task is the 
security of the United States of America.
    I need people in Washington, DC, who are willing to give those who 
are responsible for protecting America all the tools they need--tools 
such as the PATRIOT Act; tools such as programs that say if Al Qaida is 
calling into the United States, we want to know why, in order to protect 
the United States of America.
    We face an enemy that has an ideology; they believe things. The best 
way to describe their ideology is to relate to you the fact that they 
think the opposite of the way we think. We treasure the freedom to 
worship. We value the freedom for people to express themselves in the 
public square. We honor the right for people to be able to raise their 
children in a peaceful society so they can realize their dreams. The 
enemy we face doesn't believe in dissent. They don't believe in the 
freedom to worship. They got a narrow view of freedom. But this enemy is 
particularly lethal because they're willing to use whatever tactic is 
necessary to achieve their objective.
    You know, right after September the 11th, I knew that one of my 
challenges would be to remind the American people about the dangers of 
the world. I knew that the natural tendency for our country would be to 
hope that the lessons of September the 11th would be faded memory. 
Earlier this month, thanks to the good intelligence work of Great 
Britain, and with our help, we uncovered yet another plot--a plot in 
which these killers who do not share our belief of freedom were willing 
to take innocent lives in order to achieve their objective.
    These are historic times, and we must have people in the United 
States Congress who understand the stakes. After September the 11th, I 
vowed to the American people we would use all assets at our disposal to 
protect you. And the best way to defend America is to stay on the 
offense against these killers and bring them to justice before they hurt 
this country again.
    We got brave troops around the world who are on the hunt, who are 
doing their duty to protect the American people. I can't tell you how 
inspiring it is to be the Commander in Chief of a United States military 
full of men and women who understand the dangers and have volunteered to 
serve our country. And we need people in the United States Senate who 
will make sure that these troops have all the equipment, all the 
training, all the support they need to do their jobs and protect this 
country.
    In the short run, we'll defend this country by staying on the 
offense; in the long run, we've got an equally effective weapon, and 
that is freedom and liberty. The way to defeat an ideology of hate, the 
way to defeat an ideology that exploits hopelessness and despair, is to 
spread liberty. It's the calling of our time. The United States of 
America must understand that freedom is universal, that there is an 
Almighty, and the great gift of that Almighty to each man and woman in 
this world is the desire to be free. I strongly believe, deep in the 
soul of people all across the globe is the desire to live in liberty. I 
strongly believe that mothers all across the world long to raise their 
children in a hopeful society. And it's up to us, working with our 
friends and allies, to defeat the ideology of hate with an ideology of 
hope. And that hope is based upon the universal principle of liberty and 
freedom.
    One of the lessons of September the 11th is that this Nation must 
take threats seriously before they come to hurt us; that we just can't 
hope anymore that things calm down or that there's a rational way of 
thinking with an enemy; that we must be bold in our actions in defense 
of the American people. I saw a threat in Iraq, and so did Members

[[Page 1533]]

of the United States Congress of both political parties. Saddam Hussein 
was a state sponsor of terror. Saddam Hussein had used weapons of mass 
destruction. Saddam Hussein had been shooting at our pilots. Saddam 
Hussein paid families of suicide bombers. Saddam Hussein was a threat, 
and the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power.
    And now the central front in the war on terror, the central front in 
this struggle to protect ourselves, is Iraq. You know, amazing things 
have happened in Iraq, when you think about it. Oh, I know the news is 
full with terrible suiciders, and it shakes our will. I know that. It's 
troubling for many of our citizens, no matter what their political party 
is. But that's what the enemy wants. They want to trouble us. They're 
willing to take innocent life to cause us to forget our mission and 
purpose and the calling of this in the 21st century.
    But when you really think about it, amazing progress has been made. 
Twelve million people went to the polls. These are people who had just 
recently lived under the thumb of a brutal tyrant who killed hundreds of 
thousands of his own people. And yet, when given a chance, these Iraqis 
said, ``We want to be free; we want to self-govern; we want a government 
of and by and for the people.'' And since then a government has been 
formed, a unity government headed by a good man named Prime Minister 
Maliki.
    Our task is to stand with those who reject extremism and violence. 
Our task is to train the Iraqis so they can defend themselves. Our task 
is to achieve a goal of an ally in the war on terror that can defend 
itself, sustain itself. And we're on our way to achieving that mission.
    Now I understand there's a serious--[applause]--there are 
Saddamists, Al Qaida, extremists, militia, all attempting to stop the 
advance of democracy. That should say something to the American people: 
What type of mentality is it that fears freedom? What kind of mentality 
is it that can't stand the thought of liberty? It's a mentality based 
upon an ideology that is foreign to our way of thinking. It's a 
mentality based upon an ideology of hate, and they have aspirations. 
Their goal--this is what they said, not me--is to drive us out of the 
Middle East because they want to spread their view, their vision.
    If we leave Iraq before the job is done, as some have advocated, 
this will be a major defeat for the United States of America in the 
global war on terror. If we leave Iraq before the job is done, it will 
embolden an enemy that wants to harm the American people. If we leave 
Iraq before the job is done, it will create a terrorist state in the 
heart of the Middle East; a terrorist state much more dangerous than 
Afghanistan was before we removed the Taliban; a terrorist state with 
the capacity to fund its activities because of the oil reserves of Iraq. 
If we leave before the job is done, it will shred the credibility of the 
United States of America. If we leave before the job is done, it will 
have meant incredibly brave souls will have given their lives for 
nothing. And if we leave Iraq before the job is done, as General Abizaid 
has said, ``They will follow us here.''
    The stakes in Iraq are high. It's very important for the American 
people to understand that the security of the United States of America, 
the capacity for our children to grow up in a peaceful world, in large 
part depends on our willingness to help this young Iraqi democracy 
succeed.
    And we will succeed. And when we succeed, it will be a major defeat 
for the ideologs of hate. And when we succeed, it will serve--democracy 
will serve as a powerful example for others in a region that is 
desperate for free societies. And when we succeed, we'll create a 
valuable ally in the global war on terror.
    Our mission must be to stay on the offense and defeat them overseas 
so we do not have to face them here at home. This country ought to have 
confidence in our capacity to succeed. We have faced these kind of 
challenges before. We have stared down and defeated the ideology of 
fascism. We won a cold war. The path to victory was never straight-
lined, but the path to victory required perseverance, strength of 
character, and determination. It's important to have Members of the 
United States Senate like Bob Corker who share that sense of purpose and 
determination.
    You know, recently I was just right down the road here with the 
Prime Minister of

[[Page 1534]]

Japan, and he and I went to Graceland. [Laughter] It was an interesting 
moment. [Laughter] I chose to take my friend Prime Minister Koizumi 
there--one, I had never been there. [Laughter] So it was a little 
selfish. Secondly, he's an Elvis fan; he loved Elvis. And I thought it 
would be fun to take him there. Thirdly, I wanted to send a message to 
the American people. Imagine somebody in the late '40s saying, one of 
these days an American President will be taking a Prime Minister from 
Japan to the home of a famous singer. You know, right after that war, 
you can imagine what the reaction would have been. They'd say, ``Man, 
that guy is off his rocker.'' [Laughter]
    We had fought the Japanese in a bloody, bloody conflict. And it was 
a brutal war. I find it ironic that my dad fought the Japanese, and yet 
some 60 years later, I was on Air Force One flying down to Memphis, 
Tennessee, with the Prime Minister of a former enemy. And on that plane 
we weren't talking about Elvis's songs; we were talking about how to 
work together to keep the peace. We were talking about North Korea. I 
thanked this good man for sending 1,000 Japanese troops to help the 
young democracy in Iraq succeed. He understands what I know: Democracy 
yields the peace.
    If we want peace for the long run for our children and 
grandchildren, we must work hard to spread liberty. Something happened 
between World War II and my trip to Graceland, and what happened was, 
Japan adopted a Japanese-style democracy. Democracy and liberty have the 
capacity to change an enemy into an ally. Someday, an American President 
will be sitting down with duly elected leaders from the Middle East 
talking about how to keep the peace, and our children and our 
grandchildren will be better off.
    I appreciate Bob Corker's understanding of the role of government in 
our economy. He and I know the role of Government is not to create 
wealth; the role of Government is to create an environment in which the 
entrepreneurial spirit can flourish in the United States of America. And 
that means--[applause]--and that starts with letting the American 
taxpayer keep more of their own money.
    Here's what we know: We know that when a soul has more of his or her 
own money to spend, save, or invest, the economy grows. There's a 
philosophical difference between what we think and what the other bunch 
thinks. They think they can spend your money better than you can. We 
believe the more of the money you have in your pocket, the stronger the 
economy grows and the more hopeful America is.
    And our philosophy is working. Our economy is growing at 4.2 percent 
annual rate in the first 6 months of this year. That's faster than any 
other major industrialized nation in the world. For 35 straight months, 
our economy has added jobs. People are working in the United States of 
America. The unemployment rate is 4.8 percent, and since August of 2003, 
we've added 5.5 million new jobs. The tax cuts we provided for the 
entrepreneurs and small businesses of America are making a difference 
for the working people of this country.
    Now the question is, how do we keep the economy growing? Well, it 
starts with making sure the tax cuts we passed are permanent, so 
Congress can't undo them. We want there to be certainty in the Tax Code. 
We want people planning their future knowing that taxes will remain low, 
and I need a man like Bob Corker who understands that.
    You know, you hear the talk in the campaign. They say, ``Oh, well, 
we've got to balance the budget.'' We'll balance the budget, but we're 
not going to balance the budget and wreck the economy at the same time. 
You see people say, ``The best way to balance the budget''--some in 
Washington say, ``Just give us more of your own money.'' But that's not 
the way Washington works. If you send more of your own money up there, 
they will figure out new ways as to how to spend your money. The best 
way to balance this budget is to keep progrowth economic policies in 
place and be fiscally sound with the people's money.
    You know, something happened the other day that's interesting. This 
budget--I said, we'll try to--we'll cut the budget in half, the deficit 
in half by 2009. We're ahead of goal--ahead of that goal. It's amazing 
what happens when the economy grows. Guess what happens? More tax 
revenues come into the

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Treasury. Progrowth economic policies work. And I need people in 
Washington, DC, like Bob Corker who understand, one, you set priorities; 
two, you eliminate programs that might sound good but don't deliver the 
results; and three, you help people who can't help themselves. And my 
number-one priority is making sure we have enough money to defend the 
United States of America against attack again.
    I think it's interesting what Bob Corker said. He said, ``America 
must be the world leader in new technology.'' Our young people need an 
exceptional education in the sciences in order to compete for the jobs 
of the future. You see, the real challenge facing this country is, is to 
make sure we're the economic leader of the world. I'm not interested in 
being second place. I think it's--I know it's best for the future of 
this country that we remain the leader.
    And how do you do that? Well, first and foremost, you make sure each 
child gets a good-quality education. And we're on our way. You know, the 
No Child Left Behind Act will be up for renewal, and we really need 
people in the United States Congress who understands the wisdom of that 
act. And here's the wisdom: It says that we must challenge the soft 
bigotry of low expectations. We cannot tolerate a system that just 
simply shuffles kids through school. We must set high expectations and 
measure to make sure our children are learning to read and write and add 
and subtract early. And if they're not, we'll provide extra money to 
make sure no child is left behind.
    And I understand people say, ``Well, we don't like that; we don't 
like to be measured; we don't want there to be accountability.'' There 
must be accountability in the public schools of the United States of 
America, to make sure the promise of this country is met.
    Senator Frist and I have been working on policies to get us less 
dependent on foreign sources of oil. It's really the challenge of our 
time. We have got to use technologies to make us less dependent on 
energy from unstable parts of the world. It's in our economic interests, 
and it's in our national security interests. And there's some exciting 
technologies coming along. One of these days you'll be able to drive the 
first 40 miles in your car--and it won't look like a golf cart--using a 
new battery. We'll be using Tennessee crops to power our automobiles.
    We must proceed with civilian nuclear power as a source of 
electricity. We must make sure we promote clean coal technologies. I 
look forward to having a United States Senator who understands that 
technology will help us become less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
    I've got two other things I want to say; then you'll be liberated. 
[Laughter] One of my most important jobs is to put people on the bench 
who know the difference between a legislator and a judge. And I thank 
Senator Bill Frist for his strong leadership in getting two new Supreme 
Court judges through the United States Senate--Judge Roberts and Judge 
Alito. There will be more picks to be made. There will be picks 
throughout all the judiciary. And I need a United States Senator who 
understands that we need people on the bench who will strictly interpret 
the Constitution and not use the bench to legislate. And that man is Bob 
Corker.
    And finally, one of the most important initiatives that my 
administration has pursued is what I call the Faith-based and Community-
based Initiative. This initiative recognizes a couple of things: One, 
the true strength of this country lies in the hearts and souls of the 
American people. It recognizes there are social entrepreneurs all over 
America who feed the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, love 
those who need love, without one single law emanating out of Washington, 
DC. I believe Government has an obligation to open its coffers for 
competitive bidding to faith-based and community-based groups in order 
to make sure America--America's souls are saved one person at a time.
    You know, here is my great buddy, Michael W. Smith. He's an 
interesting man--he's a good musician, obviously, but he, too, is a 
social entrepreneur. I remember visiting with Michael's team who helped 
found what's called Rocket Town. It's an example of what I'm talking 
about. Rocket Town came into existence because there was a need to 
provide a place where people could find love. You see, government is not 
a loving organization. [Laughter] Government is about law

[[Page 1536]]

and justice. Love comes from the hearts and souls of individuals. And I 
need a soul like Bob Corker in the United States Senate who understands 
that many of the social problems we face require something greater than 
government, require the help of people who hear a higher calling to love 
their neighbor just like they would like to be loved themselves.
    America can change one heart and one soul and one conscience at a 
time. Government should not fear faith; government ought to welcome the 
good works of faith-based and community-based organizations to help make 
this country as strong as it possibly can be.
    And so I want to thank you for coming tonight. I'm proud to share 
the stage with a good man who is leaving the United States Senate. 
People of this State will be able to say, Bill Frist, job well done. And 
I'm proud to be serving--sharing this stage with a man who I look 
forward to serving with, to do what's right for this country. He doesn't 
need to take a poll; he doesn't need to run a focus group to determine 
what's right and what we need to do. He'll make you proud. He's the kind 
of United States Senator you want. It's my honor to endorse and strongly 
support Bob Corker for the United States Senate.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 5:45 p.m. at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel. In 
his remarks, he referred to Elizabeth Corker, wife of senatorial 
candidate Bob Corker; former President Saddam Hussein and Prime Minister 
Nuri al-Maliki of Iraq; Gen. John P. Abizaid, USA, combatant commander, 
U.S. Central Command; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.