For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 8, 2002
Remarks by the President at Tennessee Welcome
McGhee Tyson Airport
Alcoa, Tennessee
10:30 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. Thanks for coming. It's
an honor to be back in East Tennessee. If I was dragging coming on
this day, this Tennessee band kind of livened my step. (Laughter.)
I'm honored to see you all again. I'm proud to be in your presence.
You represent a great university and a great state, and I'm honored
you're here. (Applause.) I want to thank you all for coming. I've
got some things on my mind -- (applause) -- and I want to share them
with you.
The first thing on my mind is this. I know -- I know what it takes
to be a good governor. I know the characteristics necessary for
someone to be able to assume that high office. Van Hilleary has what
it takes to be a great governor for Tennessee. (Applause.) I've also
learned a lot about the United States Senate -- (laughter) -- and I
know we need Lamar Alexander in the United States Senate. (Applause.)
I appreciate so much Bill Frist. (Applause.) He's a distinguished
citizen, he's a good friend, a good, honest man who cares deeply about
the citizens of this state, brings a lot of expertise to the Senate.
He's kind of one of those fellows who can get something done in the
United States Senate, and that's the kind of attitude we need in the
United States Senate. And I appreciate Bill. I want to tell you how
proud I am to be on the stage with Janice Bowling, who's going to be
the next congresswoman. (Applause.)
I appreciate my friend, the Mayor, the honorable Victor Ashe, for
being here. (Applause.) I've known Victor for a long, long time. We
both proved that you don't have to graduate from -- with honors from
college in order to hold higher office. (Applause.) I'm really proud
to be with Victor's mother. I've known Mrs. Ashe for a long, long
time. I'm proud to see you, Martha. Thanks for coming to say hello.
I'm proud you're here. (Applause.)
I want to talk about the future of your state and the future of our
country. First, let me talk about your state. It's important you get
a good soul to be your governor, somebody who shares your values -- the
values of hard work and family, the values of service to others. It's
important you get somebody who when they speak, they speak your
language, who knows the soul of the citizens of the state. It's
important to get somebody in there who doesn't need a poll or a focus
group to tell them what to think -- (applause) -- somebody who makes
decisions based upon a philosophy; somebody who stands tall when
sometimes the winds of public opinion may be drifting a different way;
somebody you can count on; somebody, when they turn up the butane, the
political butane, you know where they stand. That person, no doubt in
my mind, is Van Hilleary. (Applause.)
One of the things I like about him is he -- when the country
called, he stepped up, and he served in Operation Desert Storm and
Desert Shield. Then he decided that he wanted to serve in Congress.
He went to one of those districts where they said, this is a district
where a Republican can't possibly win. He went out and said, listen, I
want to represent everybody. I'm not here just to appeal to a small
segment of the district. I'm here to represent a philosophy and a way
of life in a state I care deeply about. And he won where people didn't
think he could win. And for a while, they didn't think he could win
here in Tennessee -- you watch what happens on election day. Van
Hilleary is going to be the next governor. (Applause.)
He understands agriculture, and that's important for this state.
He understands budgeting. That's important for this state.
(Laughter.) He's been dealing with the Washington budget. If you can
figure out the Washington budget, I can assure you, you can figure out
the Tennessee budget. But the think I like most about Van is he
understands the most important priority of a state is to make sure that
every single child gets educated.
I like -- when I was the governor of a state that started with the
letter The and has a university that wears orange and called UT --
(laughter) -- I used to say that education is to a state what national
defense is to the federal government. It's "the" priority. And I want
to tell you all something, and you need to tell your friends at the
coffee shops and at your community centers that when it came to writing
one of the most comprehensive pieces of education reform ever in the
history of our country, Van Hilleary played a significant role.
And let me share with you right quick the philosophy, because it's
important to understand the philosophy behind educational excellence --
at least our philosophy. He mentioned challenging the soft bigotry of
low expectations in order to make sure every child learns in America.
We must do that. We can never assign any child to failure. Every
child can learn. If you believe every child can learn, then you must
have a governor who's willing to set high standards and high
expectations. If you lower the bar, you see, if you believe certain
kids can't learn, let's just move them through to get them off our --
get them off the agenda, if you lower the bar, you're going to get bad
results.
Secondly, you've got to trust the local folks. See, one in -- one
of the key parts of the bill says that one size doesn't fit all when it
comes to education, that you've got to trust local people to chart the
path to excellence. You've got to empower local people to make the
decisions for the children in their district. The people that care
more about the children in Tennessee aren't in Washington, they're in
Tennessee. And therefore, local control of schools is a fundamental
part of education reform.
But let me tell you one other part. And it's important for the
citizens of Tennessee to pay attention to this part of the education
debate. If you believe every child can learn, like we do -- see, if
you believe that every child can learn, then you're willing to measure
to determine if every child is learning. Those who don't believe every
child can learn will say, we don't need to measure, because if you
don't believe they can learn, then why should you care. In order to
make sure every child learns, it's essential that the good people of
this state have a governor who's willing to insist upon
accountability.
We need to know in society -- we need to know whether or not the
curriculum is working. We need to know whether our teachers have the
tools necessary to teach. We need to know whether or not schools are
on the right track. We need to know whether or not each child in
Tennessee can read and right and add and subtract. If you can't find
out, you'll never know. If you don't measure, you'll never know. In
order to make sure no child gets left behind -- I don't mean any single
child in this state -- you better have a governor who is willing to
hold people accountable for results. And when you find children
trapped in schools that won't teach and won't change, you better have a
governor who's willing to challenge the status quo, and that man is Van
Hilleary. (Applause.)
And I'm proud to strongly endorse the candidacy of Lamar
Alexander. There's no question in my mind, and there should be no
doubt in the minds of your fellow citizens, Republican, Democrat or
independent alike, that this man has proven his worth in the public
sector, and will be another great United States senator from the state
of Tennessee. (Applause.)
He knows education; he knows fiscal responsibility. But let me
tell you another reason why we need him up there. One of the most
serious parts of my job is to make sure that the federal bench has got
good judges on it -- good, honorable, decent people who are willing to
serve their communities and their nation on the federal bench; people
who won't use the bench to act like or serve like a legislator. See,
we've got the legislative branch. We don't need our judges acting like
legislators. (Applause.) We need our judges there to strictly
interpret our United States Constitution.
And I've named good judges. I named a lady the other day from the
state of Texas, who I know well. She got elected several times
statewide in my state, overwhelmingly so. Came out of the law school
class one of the tops in her law school class. Was ranked by the
American Bar Association with the highest of high ratings; was embraced
by both Republicans and Democrats alike. I put her nomination up
there. They played politics with her nomination. They distorted
Priscilla Owen's record. I need senators like Lamar Alexander who will
join me in making sure our federal judiciary is strong and sensible,
and will not re-write the Constitution from the bench. (Applause.)
And I appreciate Janice Bowling willing to run and serve in
Washington, D.C. It's very important that we make sure that Denny
Hastert is the Speaker of the House, make sure that coming into the
next session that we've got a Speaker with whom I can work. Janice
stands for a lot of good things, stands for a lot of good issues, but
the thing that I'm most impressed with is she'll vote for Denny Hastert
to be the Speaker of the House in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
We've got a lot of work to do in Washington. We've got a lot of
work to do to make America a stronger place and a safer place and a
better place. Making sure America is a stronger place really means
we've got to make sure people can find work if they can't find work,
people are able to find a job. We've got to do everything we can to
make sure that the policies in Washington stress economic growth, to do
things that stimulate that part of the economy which will grow jobs.
See, I worry about it when people can't find work. If somebody is
looking for a job and they can't find work, we've got a problem in
America. We want our people to be able to put food on the table.
Obviously, I'm concerned as well when the stock market is declining.
But I want you to know I'm optimistic about our future. Interest rates
are low -- that's a good sign. Inflation is low -- that's a good
sign. We've got the best workers in America, our productivity is the
highest in the world. Our entrepreneurial spirit is strong. The
foundation for growth is good. But I'm going to work as hard as I
possibly can to do everything we can do to make sure our economy
grows.
It starts with the belief, the firm belief that when times are
slow, we must let people keep more of their own money. When times are
slow -- (applause) -- when times are slow, the best way to encourage
economic growth is not to increase the size of government, but to
increase the size of money in our citizens' pockets. (Applause.)
Here's what we believe, and this is a fundamental difference
between some of the voices in Washington and what I believe and what
others on this stage believe. By letting people keep more of their own
money, they will then more likely demand a good or a service. They'll
demand something. And in a marketplace economy, somebody is likely to
produce that good or a service. If there's a demand for a good or a
service, in our society somebody's going to produce it. And when
somebody produces it, it means somebody is more likely to find work.
The tax relief plan that Van supported and Senator Frist supported
and many members of the Tennessee delegation supported came at the
absolute right time. It was important that we cut the taxes on the
people to provide wind to the economic growth and vitality. And there
are some in Washington who want to get away with that -- get rid of
that tax relief plan. There are some who don't believe -- it's a good,
honest debate -- they don't believe in our philosophy. But for the
sake of economic vitality, we must not let them raise your taxes. And
for the sake of economic vitality, we must make the tax relief
permanent. (Applause.)
The House has got a budget, and I want to thank Van for working on
the Budget Committee, and it's a good budget. It's a budget that says,
we can get back to balance if we're realistic on how we spend your
money. The Senate doesn't have a budget. And you can imagine what
that could mean for your money. Without a budget, without kind of a
go-by, without constraints in a society or in an environment in which
every program sounds like a brilliant program, except they all cost
billions of dollars, it's likely that we could have some runaway
federal spending. And we can't have that, for the sake of economic
vitality. We can fund our priorities -- listen, we've got plenty of
money to fund the priorities. We can stay focused with your money on
our priorities. But for the sake of job creation, the Congress must
not overspend. For the sake of economic vitality, for the sake of the
strength of the future of our economy, the Congress must remember whose
money they're spending. It's not the government's money, it's your
money. (Applause.) They need to be responsible with your money, in
order to make sure the foundation for economic growth is strong.
And before they go home, there's something else they can do. They
can pass a terrorism insurance bill. See, there's $15 billion worth of
construction projects which are on hold around America because people
can't get insurance for the project. The enemy hit us, and it made it
very difficult for people to be able to insure those projects. And so,
therefore, I think it's a useful role for the Congress to serve as a
backstop against a potential terrorist attack.
This is a jobs program. This is a way to get our people back to
work the right way, to encourage private sector jobs. There's over
300,000 jobs, good hard-hat jobs that have been delayed because we
can't get a terrorism insurance package out of the United States
Congress. There's a lot of voices up there talking about the economy,
and I'm glad they're talking about it. But they ought to stop talking
and they ought to start doing, by getting a terrorism insurance bill to
my desk so we can get people back to work. (Applause.)
And that terrorism insurance bill must remember who we're trying to
help. We're not trying to help the trial lawyers; we're trying to help
the hard-hats of America. (Applause.) Now, I -- the economy is on my
mind because I want our fellow countrymen working, I want them to be
able to put bread on the table. The safety of the country is on my
mind, too. See, there's still an enemy which hates America lurking
around. And so long as that's the case, my most important job is to
protect you. My most important job is to rally the assets of
government at all levels to do everything we can to deny the enemy, to
prevent them from hitting America.
People say, well, why -- and I know a lot of kids are probably
asking, well, why America? And you've just got to understand that the
enemy hates us because of what we love. We love freedom. We love the
idea of people -- (applause). We love the fact that, in this great
country, people can worship an almighty God any way they see fit.
That's what we love. (Applause.) We love free political -- we love
the debates, we love free -- we love the discourse of free people. We
love a free press. We love everything about our freedom, and we're not
going to change. We're going to stand tall and stand strong.
(Applause.)
We also value life in America. Everybody counts, everybody has
worth, everybody is a precious soul. And the enemy we -- the enemy
doesn't regard life the way we do. You see, they hijack a great
religion and kill innocent people. They don't care, but we do. And so
long as we hold those values dear, which we will, the enemy will try to
strike us.
And so we've got a lot of good people, you just need to know,
working hard to protect you. A lot of good folks. We're sharing
information. I mean, we're running down every hint, every idea. Every
piece of evidence we get, we're chasing it down so that we can say to
the American people, we're doing everything we can do.
That's why I went to Congress and asked them to put together a
department of homeland security, to join me in creating a new
department, so we could better coordinate the over 100 agencies that
are involved with protecting you. And we got a good bill out of the
House, and it's stuck in the Senate.
And the reason it's stuck in the Senate is because there is a
disagreement over how best to manage the agency. On the one hand, they
want us to have a thick book of rules to micromanage the
decision-making process. I'll give you one example. The Customs
agents should be wearing radio detection devices -- radiological
detection devices on their belt so that, if when they're looking for
weapons of mass destruction and they come close to one, it -- this
device will send a signal. It ought to be -- it ought to be a part of
their job. But the thick book of rules says, well, that's up for
collective bargaining before you can make a person do that. See, we've
got -- that violates a rule and, therefore, we got to negotiate that
out.
Folks, we don't have time to negotiate a lot of these issues.
(Applause.) We've got time to negotiate some issues. We've got time
to negotiate some issues, of course. But we don't have time to sit
around and negotiate the work rules necessary to protect you. The
enemy doesn't sit around worrying about a thick book of regulations.
And so, for the sake of our national security interests, the Congress,
the Senate ought to give this President and future Presidents the
ability to put the right people at the right place with the right
equipment at the right time to protect America. (Applause.)
But the best way to protect America for the short-term and the
long-term is to hunt the killers down, one person at a time, and bring
them to justice, and that's what we're going to do. (Applause.) I say
one at a time, because that's the kind of war we're in. See, we're
facing an enemy which hides in caves and sends youngsters to their
death, suicidal deaths. They don't have tanks, they don't have big
infantries, they don't have industrial complexes. They are
cold-blooded killers. And the only way to measure success against this
part of the war against terror is to hunt them down one at a time. A
man named bin al-Shebh popped his head up the other day -- he's no
longer a problem to America. (Applause.)
It's a different kind of war. You might think about it as an
international manhunt, which means we've got to make sure that those of
us -- that those hunting with us are strong and buoyed in their -- our
mutual love for freedom. That's why the doctrine that says, either
you're with us or you're with the enemy, still hands, it still holds.
We've got a lot of people working with us to chase these people down.
And I want you to know, the coalition that we put together is still
strong, still viable and still necessary.
I bet you we've -- I say, I bet you, I don't have an exact count,
but we've hauled in a couple of thousand or more. And like number
haven't been so lucky, thanks to the United States military, in large
part. (Applause.) We've making progress. Slowly but surely, we're
making progress. And that's the kind of war we fight. Sometimes
you'll see it on TV, and sometimes you're just not going to see it on
your TVs, as we make progress.
I submitted a significant increase in defense spending to the
Congress to -- because I want to send two messages. One, any time we
put one of our youngsters into harm's way, any time we put our military
into harm's way, they deserve the best training, the best equipment and
the best possible pay. We owe that to those soldiers, and we owe it to
their loved ones. (Applause.)
I also want to send a clear message to friend and foe alike that
the United States is in this for the long haul -- (applause) -- that
there is not a calendar that says, it's time to quit. See, when it
comes to the defense of our freedoms, it doesn't matter how long it
takes to defend our freedom. We love our freedoms and we're not going
to quit. We're not going to look at this kind of group of
international killers and say, well, it's time to go home. That's not
the way we think in America, and that's not the way we want the world
to see us.
See, we want the world to see us the way we are. We're determined
and we're after them. And we're going to stay after them until we're
able to more secure the peace. (Applause.) And that's why the United
States Congress needs to get the defense bill to my desk before they go
home. (Applause.) They've been talking about this defense bill for
quite a while. Before they go home, they ought to stop playing
politics with the defense bill and let me sign it. It's important for
the future of the country. (Applause.)
Last night, I continued a dialogue on the war on terror. I talked
about a significant threat to our country, and that threat is Saddam
Hussein and some of the folks in Iraq.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Chase 'em out!
THE PRESIDENT: I truly believe that, as you could tell from my
discussion last night if you listened, that he is a threat. He is a
threat to the United States. He's a threat to our friends in the
region. He's a threat to anybody who holds freedom dear to his heart.
People are concerned about Saddam, and I understand that. But a
lot of Americans have understood that the dynamics have shifted since
11 years ago, because of what happened on September the 11th. No
longer are we secure. No longer can we feel free because we've got two
oceans separating us from -- from that part of the world, for example.
And, therefore, it's very important for us as a country to think about
how best to protect us for the short run and the long run. We owe this
to our children. This debate is an incredibly important debate for our
country to have.
I want to thank members of both political parties for taking a --
for realizing the seriousness of this issue. This week, you'll see the
Congress debate this issue. As I said last night, this isn't an issue
of committing our military one way or the other. It doesn't say this
-- the resolution -- threat is imminent, nor does it say it's
unavoidable. But it does send a clear signal to the world, and I mean
not only the United Nations, but the whole world, that we take this
threat very seriously in America; that we'll be speaking with one
voice; that we love our freedoms; and that if the United Nations is
unable to deal with the problem -- and I certainly hope they can --
that the United States will lead -- and if Saddam Hussein chooses not
to deal with it. See, he's the guy who said he would have no weapons
of mass destruction. He's the person who told the world plainly, I
won't have chemical weapons or biological weapons, or I won't seek a
nuclear weapon. He said that. He's the man who said, I promise you I
won't do this. Yet for 11 years, he's defied resolution after
resolution after resolution. It's his choice to make.
And the U.N. can show whether or not it's the United Nations or the
League of Nations. They've got that choice to make, too. It's their
choice. But my message, and the message from the Congress, people of
both political parties, will be, for the sake of peace -- and I
emphasize, for the sake of peace -- if they won't deal with this man,
the United States of America will lead a coalition to disarm him.
(Applause.)
I take my responsibilities as the Commander-in-Chief very
seriously. A military option is my last choice, the last choice. But
should we commit our military, we'll be ready, we'll be prepared, we'll
have a great plan. And make no mistake about it, we will prevail.
(Applause.)
And finally, as we work to make America stronger and safer, we've
got to make -- work to make America a better place, too. Always got to
remember that a better America is on the forefront of our agenda. That
not only means a working America, but that means an educated America.
That means making sure we've got a health care system that's modern,
and make sure we understand that medicine has changed and Medicare
hadn't -- we need prescription drugs for our seniors to make sure
Medicare is a modern program that works. (Applause.)
But there's something else we can do in this country. We can fight
evil by doing acts of kindness and decency. We can fight evil by
loving our neighbor like we'd like to be loved ourselves. (Applause.)
In our society, in this great land, this great society and this
wonderful country, there are pockets of despair and hopelessness.
There are people who hurt in America -- people who hurt because of
addiction or loneliness. People who wonder whether or not the American
Dream -- what that means. It's empty words for some. They just don't
see any future, there is no hope. And we can change that in this
country. We can change it.
Listen, government is limited in its scope. It can hand out
money. But what government cannot do is put a sense of purpose in
people's lives, or hope in people's lives. That happens when a
neighbor says to a person in need, I love you, what can I do to help
you, what am I able to do to make your life more hopeful.
See, our society can change and, in my judgment, will change, one
heart, one soul at a time. Because people are now understanding that
after September the 11th, 2001, there is a new definition to
patriotism. Patriotism is more than just putting your hand over your
heart. Patriotism is serving your community by helping somebody in
need. (Applause.)
And that can happen all kinds of ways. See, if you mentor a child
like Linda Clark does -- I met Linda, who's a -- she's a soldier in the
army of compassion. She came out to the Air Force One to say hello.
She started a mentoring program. She's involved with Project Grad.
She understands one person can make a difference in somebody's life. I
don't know where you are, Linda. Where are you? (Applause.) You've
got a lousy seat. But anyway, Linda mentors a fifth grade child.
She's making a huge difference in that child's life.
You can go to a shut-in's home and say, I love you. That's part of
what I'm talking about. Run a Boy Scout troop or a Girl Scout troop,
or a Boys or Girls Club. There's all kinds of ways that each of us can
make a difference. We've got different talents, we've got different
views, and each of us can use those talents and our views to make a
difference in changing America for the better.
Listen, the enemy hit us. They didn't know what they were thinking
about. They probably thought we'd file a lawsuit or two. (Laughter.)
They didn't know America, did they? See, they didn't know this. They
didn't know that this great nation -- this great nation loves freedom
and loves peace, and we will work hard to achieve and maintain both.
They also didn't realize that we're also not only a tough nation, but a
compassionate nation, a nation which is a nation full of people who are
going to respond to this evil with helping their neighbor in need.
You know, there's a period of personal responsibility, I think,
coming into the country. Really important for our youngsters to
understand that the culture which has said, if it feels good, do it,
and you've got a problem, blame somebody else, is a culture that's
moving on. (Applause.) It's being replaced -- we're replacing it with
a culture that says, each of us are responsible for our behavior and
our decisions. If you're a mother or a dad -- if you're fortunate
enough to be a mom or a dad, you're responsible for loving your child
with all your heart and all your soul. (Applause.) If you're lucky
enough to live in Tennessee or Knoxville, Tennessee, you're responsible
for the quality of education in a neighborhood. If you're running a
corporation, you're responsible to tell the truth to your shareholders
and employees. (Applause.)
I feel it happening. I feel it happen, which allows me to boldly
predict that, because we're the greatest nation on the face of the
Earth, we will not only face down evil, but we can achieve peace and a
country which is more hopeful, more decent, more optimistic for
everybody who's lucky enough to be called an American.
Listen, thanks for coming today. May God bless you all, and may
God bless America. (Applause.)
END 11:02 A.M. EDT
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