For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
January 31, 2003
Vice President's Remarks to RNC
The Mayflower Hotel, State Ballroom
Washington, D.C.
12:20 P.M. EST
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. (Applause.) Thank you, very
much. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) You're never going to get
lunch this way. (Applause.) Thank you, all, very much. (Applause.)
Well -- (laughter) -- thank you. I appreciate very much that warm
welcome. And, Ann, I want to thank you for your kind words today. And
I'm delighted to have an opportunity this afternoon to spend some time
with all of you. And, Governor -- Marc has done a superb job,
obviously, as our RNC chairman. (Applause.) And he's got some great
talent working with him in people like Ann Wagner and Jack Oliver. And
they're a delight for those of us in the administration to have an
opportunity to work with, as well, too.
The President and I are grateful to all of you for the tremendous
effort that went into last year's campaign -- efforts that made all the
difference in November elections. By your good work and by the
leadership of a great President, the Republican Party is today the
majority party. And now we intend to accomplish -- (applause) -- now
we intend to accomplish great things on behalf of all the people of the
United States. And I think after the speech the President gave on
Tuesday, I know all of you are as proud as I am of President George W.
Bush. (Applause.)
And as the President pointed out on Tuesday, we have a very full
agenda for the nation for next year and beyond. This is going to be a
consequential year in the history of our nation and in the history of
freedom. We have many responsibilities, and we do not have the luxury
of taking them on one at a time. We must meet them all. And under the
leadership of President Bush, the government will work to build greater
prosperity all across the land, and we will answer every danger and
every enemy that threatens the American people.
This year we will honor a binding commitment to older Americans,
working together to improve Medicare and to give all the seniors in the
country the choice of a health plan that includes prescription drugs.
The American system of quality care in the world offers the highest
medical capabilities possible, and we must not undermine that quality
with a nationalized health care system that dictates coverage and
rations care. Nor should we stand by as the health care system is
undermined by unfair and frivolous lawsuits against doctors and
hospitals. (Applause.)
The lawsuit culture makes everyone pay more for health care. And
it is causing many parts of America to lose qualified doctors. It's
time to end these abuses with strong medical liability reform. It's
also time for bold steps to enhance our energy independence and to
improve the environment in ways that earlier generations would not have
dreamed possible. The President has sent Congress a comprehensive
energy plan to promote efficiency and conservation, and to develop
cleaner technology and produce more energy right here in the United
States. In addition, we plan to launch a major research project so
that America leads the world in developing cars powered by hydrogen.
With a major commitment to this enterprise, we will make the air
cleaner and our nation much less dependent on foreign sources of
energy.
Under President Bush, we will continue building a culture that
upholds the dignity of every life. We will encourage the compassionate
work of faith-based and community groups all across the country. And
as a great nation, we will set a high standard for humanity by passing
a law against human cloning and ending the practice of partial-birth
abortions. (Applause.)
For the well being of America's families, we are working every day
to set this economy on a path of rigorous long-term growth. President
Bush has a very clear philosophy: We recognize that government does
not create wealth, nor does it create jobs. The role of government is
to remove obstacles standing in the way of economic growth.
America has faced a recession, terrorist attack, corporate
scandals, stock market declines, and yet we have the strongest, most
resilient economy the world has ever known. But we cannot be satisfied
until everyone who wants to work can find a job. Our mission is to
speed up economic growth and to add new jobs across the country.
Two years ago, Congress approved the Bush tax cut -- but held back
on all of the tax relief until 2006. We believe that if tax relief is
good enough for Americans several years from now, it is even better for
America today. (Applause.) Instead of gradually reducing the marriage
penalty, we should do it now. Instead of slowly raising the child
credit to $1,000 by 2010, we should raise it now and send the checks to
America's families as quickly as possible. And to promote corporate
responsibility and governance, immediately draw more money into the
markets, to treat taxpayers fairly, and encourage savings and
investment, we are asking Congress to end the unfair double-taxation of
dividends. (Applause.)
Under the President's plan, Americans will receive $98 billion in
tax relief over the next 16 months. Nearly half of that amount -- $47
billion -- are tax cuts for small business owners. And to help ensure
that small business people, farmers and ranchers can pass along their
life's work to the next generation, we want to eliminate the death tax
once and for all. (Applause.)
Yesterday's fourth quarter economic growth figures, I think,
underscore the need for Congress to pass the President's jobs and
growth plan just as quickly as possible. The President's proposals
will reduce the tax burden on the Americans by $670 billion over the
next 10 years. By leaving more money in the hands of the people who
earned it -- people who will spend and invest and save and add momentum
to our recovery -- we'll help create more jobs and ultimately increase
tax revenue for the federal government. The return path to a balanced
budget is to be found in faster growth in the American economy and
spending discipline in Washington, D.C. In all of these proposals --
from better care for seniors, to legal reform, to greater energy
independence, to the growth of jobs -- all of this will allow people to
see the kind of focus, the clarity of purpose, and the sense of duty
that Americans have come to know and admire in President George W.
Bush.
With those same qualities of character he has also led the nation
in a time of great difficulty and danger. And he's leading the world
in an urgent battle against a very difficult foe, a scattered network
of killers. Great decisions and crucial hours lie ahead in this war.
But let there be no doubt, we will prevail. (Applause.)
Since the attacks of 9/11, every level of our government has taken
important steps to protect America against terrorism. We created the
Department of Homeland Security to mobilize against a wide range of
possible threats. More than 50,000 federal screeners are deployed at
our airports. We've put more marshals on airplanes and stepped up
security at our power plants, ports and border crossings. And we've
begun inoculating troops and first responders against smallpox and are
stockpiling enough smallpox vaccine for every American.
We're using new technologies to detect weapons of mass
destruction. We're developing a Terrorist Threat Integration Center to
merge and analyze all threat information in a single location in the
federal government. We're beginning to field a defense against
ballistic missiles, and we are launching Project BioShield, a
comprehensive effort to develop and to make available modern, effective
drugs and vaccines to protect against attack by biological and chemical
weapons or other dangerous agents.
With these measures, we seek to guard our nation against new and
fearsome dangers. But while the threats we face are unprecedented, our
responsibilities are very familiar. Once again, we are defending
ourselves and the safety and survival of civilization itself. And as
President Bush said, we accept this responsibility.
Today, America leads a worldwide coalition that is sharing
intelligence, hunting down terrorists and freezing the assets of
terrorist groups and front organizations. We've deprived al Qaeda of
its stronghold in Afghanistan. And as we have seen just this week, we
continue to disrupt their efforts in that part of the world.
We've captured or killed leading al Qaeda terrorists and have
disrupted their chain of command. Our law enforcement and intelligence
officials are working long and hard to stop terrorist plots, both here
and abroad. And while many of their successes go unheralded, I can
tell you that numerous terrorist attacks against the United States and
our allies have been thwarted since 9/11.
The United States and our partners have also dismantled terror
cells in Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, France, Singapore and
Malaysia. We've frozen millions of dollars in terrorist assets and
arrested more than 3,000 suspected terrorists worldwide. And we have
taken out of business many of the top al Qaeda leaders responsible for
murdering innocent Americans and other citizens.
We will continue to hunt for those remaining at large. Where al
Qaeda and its allies are concerned, we are dealing with a network that
operates in 50 or more countries; that has murdered Americans in Bali,
in Kuwait, in Yemen and in Jordan; and that is determined to acquire
and to use weapons of mass destruction against us and our allies.
Against such enemies, America and the civilized world have only one
option: Wherever terrorists operate, we will find them; wherever they
dwell, we will hunt them down. We will also continue our efforts to
address the very serious danger posed by the outlaw regime in Iraq. We
will not permit a brutal dictator with ties to terror and a record of
feckless aggression to dominate the Middle East and to threaten the
United States.
Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein agreed to disarm Iraq of
all of its weapons of mass destruction. For 12 years he has violated
that agreement, pursuing chemical, biological and nuclear weapons even
while U.N. inspectors were in Iraq. Last fall, thanks to the
leadership of President Bush, the U.N. Security Council unanimously
passed a resolution giving Iraq one final chance to disarm.
Inspectors were sent to Iraq not to determine whether Saddam has
weapons of mass destruction, but simply to confirm that Iraq
truly is disarming. Unfortunately, the declaration that Iraq
provided to the United Nations last month about its weapons and
missiles program clearly demonstrated that Saddam has absolutely no
intention of complying with the world's demands.
Some time ago, the U.N. confirmed that Iraq had sufficient
material to produce over 25,000 liters of anthrax, more than 38,000
liters of botulinum toxin, and as much as 500 tons of sarin, mustard,
and VX nerve agents. We know that he had some 30,000 munitions capable
of delivering chemical agents and several mobile biological weapons
laboratories designed to produce germ warfare agents on the move. Yet
Saddam Hussein has neither accounted for, nor destroyed these
instruments of terror. And his desire for nuclear weapons is
undiminished. Saddam Hussein is continuing his decade-old game of
defiance, delay and deception. He's blocking unrestricted aerial
reconnaissance -- as called for in the U.N. resolutions. His security
agents are hiding documents and materials from U.N. inspectors. His
intelligence agents are posing as scientists. And Saddam Hussein has
decreed that real scientists who cooperate with U.N. inspectors will be
killed, along with their families.
Saddam Hussein's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction poses a
grave danger -- not only to his neighbors, but also to the United
States. His regime aids and protects terrorists, including members of
al Qaeda. He could decide secretly to provide weapons of mass
destruction to terrorists for their use against us. And as the
President said on Tuesday night, it would take just one vial, one
canister, one crate to bring a day of horror to our nation unlike any
we have ever known.
That is why confronting the threat posed by Iraq is not a
distraction from the war on terror, it is absolutely crucial to winning
the war on terror. (Applause.) America seeks a world at peace, but we
will not accept a serious threat to our country, to our friends, and to
our allies. Next Wednesday, Secretary of State Powell will present
information and intelligence to the U.N. Security Council about Iraq's
ongoing defiance. Our purpose is not simply to follow a process, it is
to end the terrible threats to the civilized world. As the President
said the other night, the course of this nation does not depend upon
the decisions of others. Whatever action is required, whenever action
is necessary, we will defend the freedom and the security of the
American people. (Applause.)
Fellow Republicans, in this critical hour all of us are proud to be
part of a cause larger than ourselves. We will support our President
as he confronts eveyr threat from every source that could possibly do
harm to our country. We will make America stronger, better and more
secure. And in all that we are called to do, we will serve the highest
ideals of this nation -- liberty and justice -- in a world at peace.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 12:35 P.M. EST
|