For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 28, 2002
President Bush Pushes for Homeland Security Bill
Remarks by the President at Matt Salmon for Governor and Rick Renzi for Congress Dinner
Phoenix Civic Plaza
Phoenix, Arizona
4:38 P.M. MST
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for that kind introduction, Governor.
(Applause.) First I want to thank the host of the dinner for
organizing an early dinner. (Laughter.) It's good for Canangelo's
ballpark. (Laughter.) I guess tonight's the night for the D-backs.
(Applause.) I know this for certain, that this will be the only
candidate I ever campaigned for who rides a Harley, speaks fluent
Mandarin Chinese, and fronts an Elvis cover band. (Laughter.) He's
the candidate I'm campaigning for who's going to win. (Applause.)
Matt's a breath of fresh air. See, he told the voters of his
congressional district he'd only serve three terms. And when the third
term finished, he didn't run again. He's the kind of person who does
in office what he says he is going to do, which is vital for the
statehouse and Arizona. (Applause.)
The state faces real challenges, but with him you're going to get a
straightforward fellow, somebody who will tell you the truth, somebody
who will give it his all to make Arizona the best state for everybody
who lives here. It's my honor to be here. I'm proud to support him,
and I thank you all for coming, as well. (Applause.)
I had the privilege of meeting Nancy. Both of us married above
ourselves. (Laughter.) Nancy and Matt are the proud parents of four
kids. And they place their family above all else. And it gives me
great comfort to know I'm working for somebody who has got his
priorities straight. (Applause.)
And I appreciate you mentioning Laura, Matt. She sends her best.
She sends her best to our friends who are here, she sends her best to
you and Nancy. She's over there in Crawford, waiting for me. One of
the good things about coming out West is, I get to spend the night in
Crawford, and remember there are values other than Washington values
that count in the nation. (Applause.) It's good to come out West
where the spirit of individualism still remains strong; to come out
West, where you can see a long way; to come out West where people
understand helping neighbor is an important part of building a good
state.
So thanks for having me. I'm sorry Laura's not here. She's doing
great. And by the way, I'm really, really proud of the job she's doing
as our First Lady. (Applause.)
We went up to Flagstaff where we were working on the drought relief
program. It was raining. (Laughter.) But I was up there to help a
fellow named Rick Renzi who is going to be the next congressman from
Northern Arizona. (Applause.) I want to thank Rick for putting his
hat in the ring, and I want to thank you all for helping him.
I'm also honored to be with two great United States senators -- a
great patriot, a man who is speaking clearly about the need to defend
America and defend our freedoms, and that's John McCain. (Applause.)
And by the way, he married above himself, too. (Laughter.) And today
I was traveling with John Kyl. One of the jobs of the President is to
pick good judges, who can put people of sound judgment and great talent
on our federal benches. And the United States Senate has been, in some
cases, not treating my nominees fairly.
I named a great lady named Pricilla Owen to the bench. She'd run
statewide in our state, had overwhelming votes, one of the top
graduates of her law school. The lawyer group rated her one of the
best, the highest ratings they could give. And yet the Senate
distorted her record because she wouldn't be willing to legislate from
the bench. John Kyl has remained strong on the Judiciary Committee to
make sure my nominees get a fair hearing. We need to change the United
States Senate so we can change the United States course. (Applause.)
I want to thank Congressman Hayworth -- who's not here, but I'm
going to thank him anyway -- and Shadegg and Flake and Kolbe for their
support. Arizona has got a fine congressional delegation, and I'm
proud to be able to work with these members. I want to thank your
Governor for coming today, my friend, Jane Dee Hull. I want to thank
the Mayor of Phoenix for being here, Mayor Rimsza. And I also want to
appreciate those of you who helped organize this dinner. I want to
thank Chairman Fannon.
But most of all, I want to thank the grassroot activists who are
here, the people who put the signs in the yards, the people who do the
phone-calling, the people who do the mailers. Those tireless souls who
never get thanked. I want to thank you for what you have done, and as
importantly, I thank you for what you're going to do, which is to turn
out a big vote come November the 5th. (Applause.)
I appreciate your next governor's agenda. It starts with making
sure that the state doesn't raise the taxes on the working people. I
appreciate that promise. He's a man who keeps his word. It's one of
these issues that will distinguish him from his opponent. If he says
he's not going to raise your taxes, he means he's not going to raise
your taxes. And that will be good for the economy of Arizona.
(Applause.)
He's focused on jobs. He briefed me on his WorkFair 2010 program.
See, he and I understand the role of government is not to create
wealth, but to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can
flourish, in which small businesses can grow to be big businesses. I
appreciate his vision for job creation.
I also appreciate his brand of compassionate conservatism, which
says, we're going to help people help themselves; that when it comes to
welfare, that job training is essential to help people find work. We
understand that in work you find dignity; in work you find the chance
to put food on the table; in work, you have a chance to realize your
own self-worth. And so when it comes to helping people, your next
governor will make sure that work is an essential part of your welfare
system here in the state of Arizona.
I also appreciate his common sense views on our forests. You've
got a lot of vital land here. We're mismanaging our forests. We're
doing a lousy job of protecting an important treasure for the country.
We ought to be thinning our forests. We ought to be taking the burnt
timber and making use of it. We ought to be clearing the timber out
from underneath our trees. We ought to be saving our forests with
common sense forest policy. And I want to work with a governor who
understands that. (Applause.)
No, I appreciate Matt. I appreciate him working hard to make this
state a safer and stronger and better place. And that's what we've got
to do for our country, as well. A strong America is a country that
works to make sure people can find work. I'm worried about the fact
that some of our fellow Americans who want to work can't find a job.
And we've got to do everything we can to increase our job base, to do
everything we can to make sure our economy continues to grow.
That's why it's absolutely essential, in my judgment, that we make
the tax cuts we passed permanent, that we don't let them be temporary;
that we get rid of that Senate rule that says, we're going to give --
on the one hand we giveth, on the other hand we taketh away. See, we
give you tax cuts, but because of a -- kind of a weird rule in the
Senate, those go away after 10 years. For the sake of planning, for
the sake of job creation, for the sake of growth, for the sake of small
businesses, the tax cuts need to be permanent. (Applause.) And that
includes getting rid of the death tax forever. (Applause.)
We need an energy bill out of Washington, D.C. For the sake of job
security and for the sake of national security, we need an energy
bill. They've been talking too long up there. We need a bill which
encourages conservation, promotes new technologies, promotes
renewables, but a bill which will encourage increase of supply here in
America. Listen, we're too dependent on foreign sources of crude oil.
And, unfortunately, some of those people don't like us. For the sake
of job security and national security, I need an energy bill and I need
it soon. (Applause.)
There are some big projects that have been put on hold because
construction folks can't get terrorism insurance. They estimate over
300,000 of our fellow citizens aren't working, 300,000 hard-hats aren't
working because people can't get insured because of the terrorist
attacks. Congress needs to act. They need to get a terrorism
insurance bill to my desk. For the sake of job creation, for the sake
of helping people find work, for the sake of the 300,000 hard-hats who
would be working, I need a terrorism insurance bill; a bill that does
not reward the trial lawyers, but a bill that encourages construction
workers to get back to work. (Applause.)
There's a lot of things Congress can do to help, and I look forward
to working with them to create the jobs. And I know the two senators
here and the members of Congress are anxious to help to expand our
economy. But one thing Congress must not do is overspend. See, one
thing Congress has got to do is hold the line on spending if we want
our economy to grow. Interest rates are low, inflation is low,
productivity is some of the best in the world. The foundation for
growth is there.
But to make sure people can find work, it's important for Congress
not to overspend. And there's a danger. See, every program in
Washington sounds good. Everybody's idea is a brilliant idea. The
problem is, is those brilliant ideas cost in the billions. Plus, the
Senate doesn't have a budget. Senator McCain wants it to have a
budget. Senator Kyl wants it to have a budget. It doesn't have a
budget. The other side hasn't been able to get a budget. And when you
don't have a budget, guess what the danger is -- that there's no fiscal
responsibility with your money. There's no fiscal restraint. For the
sake of job creation, the Congress must fund our priorities and hold
the line on additional spending. (Applause.)
We'll work together, and we'll work hard together to make sure this
country is a stronger country, to make sure people can find work.
We've also got to make sure it's a safer country. I think our biggest
job is to protect the homeland, and the reason we need to do so, there
is still an enemy out there which hates America. They hate us because
of what we love. We love freedom. We love the fact that people can
worship an almighty God any way they see fit here in America. We love
the fact that people can have honest discourse and political debate.
We love a free press. We love everything about freedom, and we refuse
to relinquish that love. And so long as we love freedom, there are
people that want to hurt us. See, that's the problem we face.
And the other difference is, we value life in America. Every life
matters, everybody counts. Everybody is precious. Not to the enemy.
They have hijacked a great religion, and murdered -- murdered innocent
people, and could care less. And that's who we're fighting, and
they're out there. So we've got to do everything we can to protect the
homeland.
You've got to know, there's a lot of good people working hard to
protect you. Conversations taking place that never took place before
in Washington. A lot of information-sharing, a lot of folks running
down every hint, every lead, every idea that somebody might be thinking
about doing something to America. We're moving on it, within the
confines of the United States Constitution, I might add. We're
pursuing leads. We're disrupting. We're making sure, as best as we
possibly can, that the enemy doesn't hit us again.
And that's why I went to the United States Congress and asked the
Congress to join me in the creation of a homeland security department.
I did so because there's over 100 agencies in Washington, D.C. that
have something to do with securing the homeland. They're everywhere,
and it seems like to me that if the number one priority of the
government is to defend the homeland, they ought to be under one
agency, so we can change the culture of these agencies, so we can
insist on priority.
And the House moved and the Senate is stuck. And the Senate is
stuck because they want to micromanage the process. Not all senators,
but some senators. They want to have a thick book of rules that will
tell the executive branch and this administration and future
administrations how to deal with the -- securing our homeland. I
appreciate these two senators here, standing strong for doing what's
right, for leaving a legacy behind so future Presidents can more likely
deal with an enemy who could care less about rules and regulations, an
enemy which is willing to move fast.
Now, let me just tell you what I'm talking about, so you'll
understand. After September the 11th, the Customs Service wanted to
require its inspectors at our nation's 301 ports of entry to wear
radiation detection devices so they could -- these guys would have them
on their belts, and if there was -- somebody was trying to smuggle a
weapon of mass destruction into our country, we'd know about it.
Somebody was trying to bring something in illegally, across the border,
we would know about it, through the radiation detection device. The
union that represents the Customs workers objected to this common sense
action. They didn't like it. They sought to invoke collective
bargaining, which would have taken a year to resolve.
See, it's those kind of rules which bind the capacity of the
executive branch to do the job you want us to do. In order to locate
employees in cases of emergency, the Customs Service sought to have
employees provide their home addresses and their telephone numbers to
the Customs Service. That makes sense. If you've got somebody you
think may be getting ready to hit us and you need to move one of your
Custom employees into a spot of action, you need his phone number. The
union objected to listing the phone numbers, and said such a request
would violate the privacy rights of workers. The union actually filed
a grievance and sought to negotiate something as sensible as this
request.
We do not need rules and bureaucracy to entangle us in the job you
want us to do. Protection of the homeland is more important than
special interests in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
In this state, you don't need to write your senators. In this
state they've been strong in leaving a legacy behind, an important
legacy. Because this enemy isn't going away. And the best way,
however, to secure the homeland, short-term and long-term, is to hunt
the killers down, one person at a time, one at a time, and bring them
to justice, which is what the United States of America is going to do.
(Applause.)
And we're making progress. We're making progress against the
killers. That's all they are, by the way. Nothing but a bunch of
cold-blooded killers. And that's the way we're treating them.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the progress; this is a different kind of
war, as you all know. I mean, in the old days you count the number of
tanks you destroy, or the number of airplanes you destroy, and say
we're making progress. These folks don't have tanks. They don't have
airplanes. They hide in caves. They send youngsters to their suicidal
death. That's the kind of people fighting. They're resourceful and
they're determined, but they're not as resourceful and determined as
the United States of America.
I put out a doctrine that said either you're with us or you're with
the enemy. That doctrine still stands today. And a lot of nations
have joined us in rounding up these killers. We captured over a couple
thousand of them. We got one the other day in Karachi. He popped his
head up, and he's no longer a threat to the United States or our
friends. (Applause.)
That's the kind of war we fight. It's not a glamorous war
according to the TV shows and stuff. It's just one person at a time.
And we're relentless. And we're absolutely determined because we love
freedom, and we owe it to our children to be relentless and
determined. And that's why I asked the Congress to pass a defense bill
that's the largest increase in defense spending since Ronald Reagan was
the President. It sends two signals as far as I'm concerned. One, any
time our youngsters are sent into harm's way, they deserve the best
pay, the best training, and the best possible equipment. (Applause.)
We owe that to them, and we owe it to their loved ones. For those of
you in the audience who have got a loved one in the military, I'm proud
of them, I've got great confidence in them, and I want to thank you for
your sacrifice, as well.
Secondly, the reason I requested the defense bill that I did is
because I wanted to send a message to friend and foe alike that we're
not quitting. There is no calendar on my desk that says by such and
such a date we're leaving, that we're going to quit when -- by an
artificial time. That's not the way we think in America. No matter
how long it takes, we will defend our freedom. That's the message we
sent.
Now, the House passed the bill, and the Senate passed the bill, and
it hasn't gotten to my desk yet. We're at war, and the defense bill
hasn't made it. I'm calling upon the leaders of the Senate and the
leaders of the House to reconcile any differences they have quickly,
and get the defense bill to my desk before you go home. Quit playing
politics with the defense bill. (Applause.)
In order to defend our freedoms, there's going to be some steep
hills to climb, and we're going to have to climb them, and climb them
together. We've still got work to do against al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
I want you to tell your children, if they ask you about all this war
rhetoric, that your great country went into Afghanistan not to conquer
anybody, but to free people. We went in and freed people from the
clutches -- (applause.) It's really important for you to tell them
that we value each life, no matter where that life lives.
And we cried when we heard the stories about the Taliban not
letting young girls go to school. It broke our heart, but it also made
us joyous when we realized upholding the doctrine that said, if you
harbor a terrorists, you're just as guilty as the terrorists, not only
allowed the United States to keep its word, but we freed people. We
freed people from the clutches of the barbaric Taliban regime.
(Applause.)
We've got work to do in Afghanistan, and we will continue to do the
work in Afghanistan. No, they're kind of sliding around the border
regions, and we've got people looking for them. Sometimes they try to
get into Pakistan, and we're teamed up with the Pakistan government to
find them. Sometimes we get them on the run, and then they think they
can light in other countries. And so we're pressuring them in other
countries. It doesn't matter where they think they can light, we're
after them.
We've also got a big chore to make sure the world's worst leaders
never threaten, blackmail or harm America with the world's worst
weapons. I went to the United Nations the other day. I did so because
I wanted to make the case against a mad man, a case against a man who
has lied to the world, the case in front of this august body that for
11 long years he has stood in defiance of resolution after resolution,
and at the same time built up his cache of chemical and biological
weapons.
This is a man who continues to murder his own people; a man who has
gassed -- used gas on his own citizens; a man who has used chemical
weapons on his neighbors; a man who has invaded two countries; a man
which hates -- who hates America; a man who loves to link up with al
Qaeda; a man who is a true threat to America, to Israel, to anybody in
the neighborhood.
And so I went to the United Nations, and I said to the United
Nations, you need to deal with him. You, the collective body of
freedom-loving countries, need to deal with him. For 11 years he's
made fun of you. You can either be the United Nations and be
effective, or you can be the League of Nations -- your choice. I hope
they're the United Nations. I hope they're a robust United Nations. I
hope they're capable of helping to keep the peace. That's their
choice.
Saddam Hussein has got a choice, and that is, he can disarm.
There's no negotiations, by the way. There's nothing to negotiate with
him. He told the world he would disarm 11 years ago, and he's lied to
the world. (Applause.) It's their choice to make. He must disarm,
just like he said he would do. And the United Nations, in order to be
effective, must disarm him. But for the sake of our freedom, for the
sake of our future, if nothing happens, the United States will lead a
coalition to hold him to account and to disarm Saddam Hussein. We owe
it to the world to do so. (Applause.)
I want to thank members of both political parties in the Congress
for working on a strong statement of resolve that the world will see.
Members of both political parties have worked together with the -- with
members of my staff, to develop a statement that shows our
determination and our desire to keep the peace, to make the world a
more peaceful place. I think you're going to see that our government
will be, shortly, speaking with one voice, and the world will take
notice.
History has called us into action, my fellow Americans; it just
has. We have a chance to blink, or we have a chance to lead. I intend
to lead. (Applause.)
As we make sure that we're a safer and stronger place, we've also
got to work to make America a better place for all of us. I mean all
of us. It starts with making sure the education systems work. I
appreciate the idea of having a governor who is willing to work to
challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations; somebody who is willing
to raise the standards; somebody who believes, like I believe, every
child can learn; and somebody who is willing to measure to determine if
every child is learning.
You see, it's really important to measure. If you believe children
can learn, then you want to know. And if you find children trapped in
schools which won't teach and won't change, you'd better have you a
governor who won't stand for the status quo. There's no second-rate
children in Arizona. There's no second-rate children in America.
(Applause.)
But a better America also understands that the true strength of our
country is not our government, but the true strength of the country is
the people, the hearts and souls of the American people. See, that's
what I think the strength of the country is. And we can change this
country. You've got to understand that amongst the plenty, there are
pockets of despair and hopelessness in this country. There just are.
There are people who are addicted. There are people who are lonely.
There are people who are lost. When you say American Dream to some of
our fellow Americans, they go blank. And that's not right. And we
need to deal with that. We need to address that part of our -- because
when one of us hurts, all of us should hurt.
And we can change that part of the American scene. And we've got
to understand, as we do, the limitations of government. Listen,
government can hand out money, and we do a pretty good job of it
sometimes. But what government can never do is put love in somebody's
life; can't put hope in a person's heart. That's going to happen
because our fellow Americans decide to fight evil by doing some good.
That will happen when our fellow Americans understand being a patriot
is more than just putting your hand over your heart. Being a patriot
is serving something greater than yourself. Being a patriot is
somebody who mentors a child. Being a patriot is somebody who feeds
the hungry. Being a patriot is somebody who starts a Boy or -- Boys or
Girls Club. Being a patriot -- who does everything he or she can do to
make the quality of life in your neighborhood as good it can be.
I don't know what's going through the mind of the enemy when they
hit us. Oh, they probably thought after September he 11th, we might
file a lawsuit or two. (Laughter.) But they learned differently.
They learned that this great country is plenty tough, and we'll defend
our freedoms. They also learned that we're plenty compassionate, and
that we'll respond to their evil with decency. One person can't do
everything in America, but one person can do something. And as you do
that something, I want you to remember that you can change this
country, one heart, one soul, one conscience at a time.
I believe that we're in the midst of a cultural change in America;
I believe it. I believe we're shifting our culture from one which had
said, if it feels good, just go ahead and do it, and, if you've got a
problem, blame somebody else. I believe that since the terrible attack
on America took place, that we're ushering in a period of personal
responsibility, where each of us must understand if you're lucky enough
to be a mom or a dad, your most important job is to love your child
with all your heart and all your soul.
The culture of responsibility says, if you live in Phoenix,
Arizona, you must do everything you can to support the quality of life
in that community, don't hope for some distant government to do it.
The culture of responsibility says, if you run a corporation in
America, you're responsible to be honest with the books and treat your
employees and shareholders with respect. (Applause.)
I believe it's happening. And perhaps the most vivid example about
what I'm talking about, about serving something greater than yourself
took place on Flight 93. America must remember that tragic story,
because it speaks volumes about the great spirit of the country.
People flying across the plane, 40 passengers and I think four crew
members, I believe it was. They learned from their loved ones that
something was taking place on the ground that no one could possibly
imagine in America. They realized the plane they were on was going to
be used as a weapon. They talked to their loved ones. They said the
word "love" a lot. They said a prayer, they prayed for strength. One
guy said, "Let's roll." They took the plane into the ground. They
served something greater than themselves. That's a powerful story,
because to me it speaks to the soul of our country, our worth.
There is no question in my mind that if we remain strong and
focused and tough, we can achieve peace. We can achieve peace for our
country. We can achieve peace in the Middle East, peace in South
Asia. There's no doubt we can do that, if we're tough and strong and
determined to speak clearly and always defend freedom. And at home, we
can eliminate those pockets of despair. We can help people with love.
And the reason I'm optimistic, is because I know America. America
is full of the finest people on the face of the Earth. America is the
greatest nation on the face of the Earth. Thank you for coming. May
God bless, and God bless America. (Applause.)
END 5:15 P.M. MST
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