For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
April 23, 2004
Remarks by the Vice President at a Luncheon for Congressional Candidate Sam Graves
Kansas City Marriot Downtown
Kansas City, Missouri
12:25 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. (Applause.) Thank
you. (Applause.) Thank you. (Applause.) How do you get them to
stop, Sam? (Laughter.) Thank you all very much.
CONGRESSMAN GRAVES: Shows how good a group they are.
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes, it's not bad. I think I'm going to quit
right now. (Laughter.)
Well, we appreciate that warm Missouri welcome. It's great to be
back, and especially to be here today to work with Sam. I like
Missouri so much that I'm going to be back on Monday. (Laughter.) I'm
going down to Fulton to speak at Westminster College. And it's always
an enjoyable stop. But I'm here today, specifically to thank Sam
Graves for the outstanding work he does every day on behalf of his
district, his state, and the nation. And Sam came to Washington, of
course, with President Bush in 2001. Over the last three years, he's
worked tirelessly for the people of Missouri. And just like the
President, he has earned another term in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
The President and I are very grateful for the strong support we
received here in Missouri last time around. It was a crucial part of
our victory. Of course, every state was a crucial part of that
victory. It was a little close. (Laughter.) This time we hope it's
not quite so close. But with your help we're going to carry Missouri
again in 2004. (Applause.)
I want to say a word about your United States senators, Kit Bond
and Jim Talent. My only official duty as Vice President is to preside
over the Senate. When they wrote the Constitution, they created the
post of Vice President, and they got down to the end of the
Constitutional Convention, they figured out they hadn't given him
anything to do. (Laughter.) So they made him the President of the
Senate to allow the Vice President to preside over the Senate, also
cast that tie-breaking vote when the Senate is 50-50 on a proposition.
My predecessor John Adams, our first Vice President, also had floor
privileges. He could go down into the well of the Senate and actually
join in the debate and argue the issues of the day. And then he did a
couple of times, and they withdrew his floor privileges. (Laughter.)
They've never been restored. But I have the opportunity, obviously, to
watch senators in action, and occasionally the opportunity to come out
and deliver a report card to their constituents. I'm happy to tell you
that Kit and Jim are two of the most respected, hardest working members
of the United States Senate. They do a superb job for the people of
Missouri, and I'm delighted to support them, as well. (Applause.)
But the main reason we're all here today is to speak specifically
on behalf of Sam Graves. It's always a pleasure for me to get to do
that. As Sam mentioned, I spent a decade in the House of
Representatives. I was the congressman from Wyoming. Wyoming only has
one congressman. It was a small delegation. (Laughter.) But it was
quality. (Laughter.)
And even now, as President of the Senate, I keep an office over on
the House side, courtesy of the Speaker, Denny Hastert. But I've spent
some time and a good part of my career working with and judging members
of Congress. And I think I know by now what makes a good congressman.
You need to work hard, need to stay in close touch with the folks in
your district, speak out on those things that matter most to your state
and the nation, and that's what Sam Graves does every day.
In his two terms in Congress now, Sam has earned a reputation as a
hard worker and a leader with strong principles. He's a valued member
of Roy Blunt's whip team, one of the key organizations in the House.
He's not afraid to reach across the aisle to get things done,
especially when he sees his chance to improve life for people here in
Missouri. As a lifelong resident of the sixth district, he shares your
values. He fights hard for your priorities -- from lower taxes, to a
strong agriculture sector, to quality education for every child in
America.
By electing Sam, you put a good man in a big job. And this
November I know you're going to send him back to the United States
Congress. (Applause.)
These are challenging times for Missouri and for America. Those of
us in public office have serious responsibilities, and we hold the
public trust. The President and I have been able to count on Sam as a
reliable ally on Capitol Hill over these last three years. And today,
as we look forward to November, I believe the President has a
significant record of accomplishment to show, as well.
The American people can be confident of a better future, a stronger
economy, and greater security against the dangers of our new century
because of the character and the leadership of our President, George
W. Bush. (Applause.)
This period in history has been defined by serious challenges, by
consequential choices, and by the need for decisive action. And the
greatest responsibility of our government is clear: We must protect
the safety and security of the American people.
The attacks of September 11, 2001 signaled the arrival of an
entirely new era. We suffered massive civilian casualties on our own
soil. We awakened to dangers of even more lethal -- that were even
more lethal, the possibility that terrorists could gain chemical,
biological or even nuclear weapons from outlaw regimes and turn those
weapons against the United States.
Remembering what we saw on the morning of 9/11, and knowing the
nature of our enemies, we have as clear a responsibility as could ever
fall to government, we must do everything in our power to protect our
people from terrorist attacks , and to keep terrorists from ever
acquiring weapons of mass destruction.
This great and urgent responsibility has required a shift in our
national security strategy. For many years prior to 9/11, terror
attacks against Americans were treated as isolated incidents and
answered, if at all, on an ad hoc basis -- rarely in a systematic way.
Even after an attack inside our own country, the 1993 attack on the
World Trade Center in New York, there was a tendency to treat terrorist
attacks as individual criminal acts to be handled primarily through law
enforcement.
The main perpetrator of that 1993 attack in New York was tracked
down, arrested, convicted, and sent off to serve a 240-year sentence.
Yet behind that one man was a growing network of operatives inside and
outside the United States, waging war against our country.
In 1996, Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, the mastermind of 9/11, first
proposed to Osama bin Laden that they use hijacked airliners to attack
targets in the U.S. In 1996 and again in 1998, Osama bin Laden
declared war against the United States.
During this period, thousands of terrorists were trained in al
Qaeda camps in Afghanistan. And we've seen the work of these
terrorists in many attacks since 9/11 all over the world -- in Riyadh,
Casablanca, Istanbul, Karbala, Mombasa, Bali, Jakarta, Najaf, Baghdad,
and Madrid.
The President and I understand that America requires an aggressive
strategy against these enemies -- not merely to prosecute a series of
crimes, but to fight and win a global campaign against the terror
network. Such an enemy cannot be deterred, cannot be contained, cannot
be appeased, or negotiated with, it can only be destroyed. And that is
the business at hand. (Applause.)
In Afghanistan, we've removed the brutal Taliban from power, and
destroyed the al Qaeda training camps. In Iraq, America and our allies
rid the Iraqi people of a murderous dictator, and rid the world of a
menace to our peace and security. (Applause.) Just over a year ago,
Saddam Hussein controlled the lives and the futures of 25 million
people -- today, he's in jail: never again to support dangerous
terrorists, never again brutalize the Iraqi people, never again pursue
weapons of mass destruction, never again threaten the United States of
America. (Applause.)
We still face serious challenges in Afghanistan and Iraq. There's
still a great deal to do. But our progress has been enormous. In
Afghanistan, there's a new constitution. Free elections will be held
later this year. In Iraq, a new basic law has been signed. This is an
historic achievement, and a landmark document in that region. And on
the 30th of June, Iraqi sovereignty will be placed in the hands of
Iraqis. As the President has said, the United States will keep its
word to the Iraqi people. Iraq will be a free and independent country,
and America and the Middle East will be safer because of it. Our
coalition has the means and the will to prevail. We stand for freedom
and security, and that is a cause that we're proud to serve.
Our nation is extremely fortunate during these times of testing to
have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform. Many of
them have seen hard duty, long deployments, and fierce fighting.
They've endured the loss of friends and comrades. And they are
unwavering in their mission. They are proving every day that when we
send them to defend this nation and our interests, we are sending the
very best of the United States of America. (Applause.)
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds,
saying one thing one day and another the next. We need a
Commander-in-Chief of clear vision and steady determination. And that
is just what we have in President George W. Bush. And that measure
must be applied, as well, to the candidate who now opposes him in the
election of 2004, the Junior Senator from Massachusetts.
In one of Senator Kerry's recent observations about foreign policy
he informed his listeners that he has met with unnamed foreign leaders
who support him. A voter in Pennsylvania asked Senator Kerry who these
foreign leaders are. Senator Kerry said, "That's none of your
business."
But it is our business when a candidate for President claims the
political endorsement of foreign leaders. Remember that the American
voters are the ones charged with determining the outcome of this
election, not unnamed foreign leaders.
Senator Kerry has also asserted that our troops in Iraq are not
receiving the material support they need. May I remind the Senator
that last fall, at the President's request, Congress considered
legislation providing vital support for our troops -- funding for body
armor, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition, fuel and spare parts.
Senator Kerry was asked whether he would vote against the President's
request. He said, quote, "I don't think any United States senator is
going to abandon our troops. That's irresponsible." End quote. The
legislation passed overwhelmingly with a vote in the Senate of 87 to
12. Senator Kerry voted "no."
As a way to clarify the matter, Senator Kerry recently said, and
again I quote: "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted
against it." You want me to repeat that? "I actually did vote --
(laughter) -- for the $87 billion before I voted against it." The
Senator, obviously, is free to vote as he chooses, but he should be
held to his own standard. It is irresponsible to vote against vital
support for the United States military.
On the broader picture, Senator Kerry has questioned whether the
war on terror is really a war at all. Recently he said, I don't want
to use that terminology. In his view, opposing terrorism is far less
of a military operation and far more of an intelligence-gathering, law
enforcement operation. But as we've seen, that approach was tried
before and proved entirely inadequate to protecting the American people
from terrorists who are quite certain they are at war with us.
I leave it for Senator Kerry to explain his votes and his
statements about the war on terror, our cause in Iraq, and the needs of
the American military. Whatever the explanation, it is not an
impressive record for someone who aspires to become Commander-in-Chief
in this time of testing for our country.
The American people will have a clear choice in this election, on
national security, as well as on policies here at home. When the
President and I took office, the economy was sliding into recession.
Then, just as our economy was ready to recover, terrorists struck our
nation and shook our economy once again. Working with Sam and others
in Congress, President Bush has taken strong confident steps to get the
economy growing again. The President signed into law significant tax
relief for millions of American families and businesses. We doubled
the child tax credit, decreased the marriage penalty, cut tax rates
across the board, and have put the death tax on its way to extinction.
Now, we're seeing the results of the President's policies. Last
month, the economy added over 300,000 new jobs, and we've created more
than 750,000 jobs since August. In the second half of last year, our
economy grew at an annual rate of nearly 6.2 percent, its fastest pace
in nearly two decades, and the highest rate of any major industrialized
nation in the world. The home ownership rate is the highest ever.
Interest rates and inflation are low. Manufacturing activity is on the
increase. Productivity is high. Business investment is rising.
Incomes are growing. America's economy is moving in the right
direction. And don't let anybody tell you otherwise.
The American people are using their money far better than the
government would have, and Congress was right to let them keep it.
(Applause.) As you know, there are voices in the land who want to roll
back the Bush tax cuts. If elected, Senator Kerry has promised to
repeal the Bush tax cuts during his first 100 days in office.
That isn't surprising when you consider his record on taxes. Over
the years, Senator Kerry has voted over 350 times for higher taxes,
including the biggest tax increase in American history. For the sake
of long-term job growth and job-creation, we ought to do exactly the
opposite of what Senator Kerry proposes: We should make the Bush tax
cuts permanent. (Applause.)
Sam has helped deliver historic tax relief to the American people
to start the economic recovery. To strengthen that recovery we're
going to move forward with an aggressive pro-growth agenda. Our nation
needs legal reform to protect small business owners and employees from
frivolous lawsuits and needless regulation. We need to control the
cost of health care by passing medical liability reform. Here in
Missouri, and across the nation, good doctors should be able to spend
their time healing patients, not fighting off frivolous lawsuits.
(Applause.) We need to pass sound energy legislation to modernize our
electricity system and to make America less dependent on foreign
sources of energy.
It is also time for the United States Senate to get about the
business of confirming President Bush's judicial nominees. (Applause.)
The President has put forward talented, experienced men and women who
represent the mainstream of American law and American values. Yet
Senate Democrats have taken to waging filibusters, denying up-or-down
votes for months, and even years. That's unfair to the judicial
nominees, and it's an abuse of the constitutional process. Every
nominee deserves a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. And
that's why we need more Republicans like Kit Bond and Jim Talent in the
United States Senate. (Applause.)
On issue after issue, from national security, to economic growth,
to improving our schools, President Bush has led the way in making
progress for the American people. President Bush has a clear vision
for the future of the nation: Abroad, we will use America's great
power to serve great purposes, to turn back the forces of terror, and
to spread hope and freedom throughout the world.
Here at home, we will continue building prosperity that reaches
every corner of the land so that every child who grows up in the United
States will have a chance to learn, to succeed, and to rise in the
world.
President Bush and I are both honored by the confidence you've
placed in us and by your commitment to the cause we all share.
President Bush and I are grateful to all of our friends in this part of
the country, and very grateful to the sixth district for sending Sam
Graves to Washington. He's made a fine name for himself, and he
reflects tremendous credit on the good people of his district. We look
forward to working with Sam for a good many years to come.
Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
END 12:40 P.M. CDT
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