For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 1, 2004
President's Remarks at Columbus, Ohio Rally
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio
5:18 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for coming. (Applause.) Thank you all very
much. What a warm welcome. It doesn't get any better than being
introduced by Jack Nicklaus in Columbus, Ohio. (Applause.) While you
were cheering I asked him if he had any advice for my golf game. He
said, "Quit." (Laughter.) I'm so honored to be here with Jack and
Barbara Nicklaus. He is a -- what a class act. And I'm proud to have
him endorse my candidacy for the presidency of the United States.
(Applause.)
Jack said he and Barbara are from Columbus -- so am I. My
grandfather was raised right here in Columbus, Ohio. (Applause.) So
I'm here to ask that you send a home boy back to Washington, D.C.
(Applause.)
I'm thrilled to be traveling today with Laura. She raised the bar
last night. (Applause.) What a fantastic speech she gave.
(Applause.) I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you ought to
put me back in, but perhaps the most important one is to put her back
in for four more years. (Applause.)
I appreciate you all coming. I'm here to ask for the vote. See, I
believe you've got to come -- (applause) -- I believe you got to come
to the people and ask for their vote. I'm here to let you know I'm
going to lay out a vision tomorrow night for a safer world and a more
hopeful America, that we have done a lot -- (applause.) I'm here to
ask for your help, as well. You can't win election alone. I need you
to help register your friends and neighbors. Get on the Internet at
GeorgeWBush.com and find out how you can volunteer for this campaign.
For those of you who are volunteering, I want to thank you very much
for the work you've done and the work you're going to do. (Applause.)
There is no question in my mind, with your hard work, we will carry
Ohio again and win this country. (Applause.)
I'm looking forward to hearing my superb running mate's speech
tonight. Dick Cheney is a solid citizen. He's got good judgment and
sound advice. He's a man who can get the job done. (Applause.)
I'm thankful that Barbara Nicklaus and son Gary Nicklaus are
traveling with Jack today. I want to thank both of them for joining
us. I appreciate my friend, Senator Mike DeWine, joining us today.
He's a fine United States Senator. (Applause.) You know, we've been
traveling your state by bus, and old Mike showed up every time. He's
out there shaking those hands and waving to the crowds. I appreciate
his friendship. I also want to urge you to put George Voinovich back
into office as your United States Senator. (Applause.)
I'm proud that my friend, Congresswoman Deborah Pryce is with us.
She is a fine member of the House of Representatives. (Applause.) I
want to thank John McConnell for opening up this beautiful hall. He's
a great citizen of this community who owns the Columbus Blue Jackets.
(Applause.) He said, do you have any advice? I said, I cannot skate.
(Laughter.) But I appreciate the hospitality.
I want to thank Chris Spielman for being here, as well. I'm
honored he's here. (Applause.) I appreciate the Pickering Central
High Marching Band for joining us today. (Applause.) I'll try to keep
my speech short so you can get home and do your homework.
AUDIENCE: Nooo --
THE PRESIDENT: I want to thank the folks who put this on, this
fantastic rally on. I know it takes hard work to get this many people
here. But thanks for all you're doing. I'm here to let you know that
I've got a clear vision and strong determination to make this country a
safer place, a stronger place, and a better place for every American.
(Applause.)
In the past few years we've been through a lot together, and we've
accomplished a lot. But the only reason to look back in a campaign is
to determine who best to lead us forward. Even though we've done a
lot, I'm here to tell you there's more to do. There's more to do to
make this country a hopeful country for every citizen. We've got more
to do to make sure the public schools in America are centers of
excellence we know they can be.
When I went to office -- got into office a couple of years ago, too
many of our schools were shuffling children through grade after grade,
year after year, without them learning the basics. We challenged the
soft bigotry of low expectations in the public schools in America.
We've raised the standards. We believe in local control of schools.
And we believe in return for federal money, people must show us whether
or not the children can read and write and add and subtract, because we
expect every child to learn in America. (Applause.)
Because we're measuring and correcting problems early before it's
too late, the achievement gap in America is closing. But there's more
work to be done. We've got to make sure the Internet is in our high
school classrooms. We need to have early intervention programs for
junior high and high school students, so they're not left behind. We
got to make sure AP courses are expanded. We got to make sure we teach
more math and science in the high schools so that kids can compete in
this global economy. We want to make sure the high school diploma
means something. We'll increase Pell Grants and loans so when a high
school kid gets out of high school, he's got a chance to go to
college. What I'm telling you is, after four more years, a rising
generation will have the confidence and the skills necessary to be able
to find a job in America. (Applause.)
We've got more to do to make such health care is available and
affordable. When I came to office, too many older Americans could not
afford prescription drugs, and Medicare didn't pay for them. You might
remember those old Medicare debates. Matter of fact, they used to call
it "Mediscare," and the system was getting old. See, we'd pay $100,000
for a heart operation in Medicare, but wouldn't pay for the medicine to
prevent the heart operation from happening in the first place. I went
to Washington with the desire to improve Medicare for our seniors, and
we got the job done. (Applause.)
We're expanding community health centers for low-income Americans.
We've created health savings accounts so families can save tax-free for
their own health care needs. Most people get their insurance through
their places of work. Most new jobs are created by small businesses.
Many small businesses are having trouble affording health care. To
make sure American families get health care, small businesses must be
allowed to join together to purchase insurance at the discounts that
big companies are able to get. (Applause.)
There's more work to be done to make sure health care is accessible
and affordable. We'll harness technology to reduce costs and prevent
costly mistakes. We'll expand research to find new cures. In order to
make sure your health care system here is a viable health care, we must
get rid of the frivolous lawsuits that are running your docs out of
business. (Applause.) See, I don't think you can be pro-doctor and
pro-patient and pro-plaintiff attorney at the same time. I think you
have to make a choice. My opponent made his choice, and he put him on
the ticket. (Applause.) I made my choice. I am for medical liability
reform now. (Applause.)
In all we do to improve health care in this country, we will make
sure that health decisions are made by patients and doctors, and not by
government officials in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
I'm running because I know there's more to do to make sure this
economy continues to grow. Our economy has been through a lot. We've
been through a recession. We've been through the terrorist attacks.
We had the corporate scandals. These were obstacles in the way for
good economic growth, but we've overcome the obstacles because
America's workers are the finest in the world. (Applause.) We've
overcome these obstacles because we've got great farmers and ranchers
in America. We've overcome these obstacles because the entrepreneurial
spirit is strong. The small business sector of our economy is thriving
in this country. We've overcome these obstacles because of well-timed
tax cuts. (Applause.)
We didn't pick winners or losers when it came time for tax cuts.
We said, if you're paying taxes, you ought to get relief. That's a
fair way to do it. We also increased the child credit to help moms and
dads. We reduced the marriage penalty. I believe the tax code ought
to encourage marriage, not penalize marriage. (Applause.) We helped
our small businesses -- this time the check actually was in the mail.
(Applause.)
Because we acted, our economy has been growing at rates as fast as
any in nearly 20 years. Because we acted, over the past 12 months
we've added 1.5 million new jobs. Because we acted, the national
unemployment rate is 5.5 percent, well below the national average of
the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. (Applause.)
I fully understand we still face challenges in manufacturing
communities and places like Youngstown and other parts of your great
state -- Canton. I've been to those communities. I know there are
workers worried about their future. I've got a plan to continue the
economic vitality of this state and this country. I will not rest so
long as anybody in your state who wants to work cannot find a job. I'm
running because I know there's more to do to create economic vitality.
And to keep jobs here in America, this country must have an energy
strategy that makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
(Applause.)
I submitted a plan to the United States Congress that encourages
conservation, encourages alternative sources of energy, encourages
clean coal technology, encourages environmentally sensitive exploration
for natural gas. It's a reasonable plan. It's stuck in the Congress.
They need to get it to my desk so we can keep jobs here in this
country. (Applause.)
In order to keep jobs here in America, we need tort reform and
regulatory relief. In order to keep jobs here in America, we must make
sure our trade policies are fair. We've opened up our markets, and
it's good for you that we've done so. See, if you've got more to
choose from, you're more likely to get a better product at a better
price. But it's only fair if other countries treat us the way they
treat them (sic). The best trade policy is to open up their markets.
The best trade policy is to enforce trade laws. The best trade policy
is to say, treat us the way we treat you. We can compete with anybody,
anywhere, anytime, if the rules are fair. (Applause.)
In order to keep jobs in America, we must have a lifetime learning
opportunity for American workers. I'm a big believer in the community
college system. I believe they make a lot of sense. It's a good use
of taxpayers' money to encourage and help workers retrain for the jobs
which will be created in the 21st century. If we help our workers find
the skills necessary to fill the jobs, this economy will continue to
grow and people will be able to realize their hopes and aspirations.
(Applause.)
In order for this economy to continue to grow and for jobs to stay
in America, we must be wise about how we spend your money, and we must
keep your taxes low. (Applause.) Running up the taxes on the working
people and the small business owners and the farmers and ranchers of
America would hurt this economic recovery. I'm running against a
fellow who has already promised over $2 trillion of new federal
spending.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And we've still got 60 days to go in the campaign.
(Laughter.) No telling what's going to happen coming down the
stretch. So they said, how are you going to pay for it? He said, oh,
I'll just tax the rich. Yes, we have heard that before in American
politics. You know what it means, tax the rich. It means the rich
dodge and you get stuck with the bill. But we're not going to let him
do it. We're going to carry Ohio and this country in November.
(Applause.)
We have more to do to wage and win the war against terror.
America's future depends on our willingness to lead in this world. If
America shows weakness or uncertainty in this decade, the world will
drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch. (Applause.)
The world changed on a terrible September morning, and since that
day, we have changed the world. Before September the 11th, Afghanistan
served as the home base of al Qaeda, which trained and deployed
thousands of killers to set up terror cells in dozens of countries,
including our own. Because we acted, Afghanistan is a rising
democracy. (Applause.) Because we acted, over 10 million Afghan
citizens have registered to vote in the upcoming presidential
elections. (Applause.) Because we acted, many young girls go to
school for the first time in Afghanistan. (Applause.) Because we
acted, Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror, and America and the
world are safer. (Applause.)
Before September the 11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire
weapons of mass destruction. Today, because America and our allies
have sent a strong and clear message, Libya has abandoned its pursuit
of weapons of mass destruction and America and the world are safer.
(Applause.)
Before September the 11th, the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of
America. He was defying the world. He was firing weapons at American
pilots enforcing the world's sanctions. He had pursued and he has used
weapons of mass destruction. He harbored terrorists. He invaded his
neighbors. He subsidized the families of suicide bombers. Saddam
Hussein and his henchmen murdered tens of thousands of his own
citizens. He was a source of great instability in the world's most
volatile region. Saddam Hussein was a threat. (Applause.) And one of
the important lessons of September the 11th, a lesson this country must
never forget, is that we must take threats seriously, before they fully
materialize. (Applause.)
So I went to the United States Congress. I said, I see a threat.
They looked at the same intelligence, remembered the same history of
Saddam Hussein, and came to the same conclusion, Saddam Hussein was a
threat, and authorized the use of force. My opponent looked at the
same intelligence and came to the same conclusion. (Applause.)
The President must try all options to resolve a threat before he
commits troops into combat, and so I went to the United Nations. I
said, I see a threat. They looked at the intelligence, the same
intelligence. They remembered the same history, and with a 15-0 vote
in the United Nations Security Council, said to Saddam Hussein,
disclose, disarm or face serious consequences. The world spoke. But
as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein defied the demands of the
free world. When we sent inspectors, or when the U.N. sent inspectors
into Iraq, he systematically deceived them. So I have a choice to make
at this point in our history: Do I forget the lessons of September the
11th and take the word of a madman, or take action to defend our
country? Given that choice, I will defend America. (Applause.)
Even though, even though we did not find the stockpiles that we
expected to find, Saddam had the capability of making weapons of mass
destruction and he could have passed that capability on to the enemy.
That is not a risk we could afford to take after September the 11th.
Knowing what I know today, I would have made the same decision.
(Applause.) America and the world are safer with Saddam Hussein sitting
in a prison cell. (Applause.)
And now, almost two years after he voted for the war in Iraq, and
seven months after switching positions to declare himself the anti-war
candidate, my opponent has found a new nuance. He now agrees it was
the right decision to go into Iraq. After months of questioning my
motives and even my credibility, my opponent now agrees with me that
even though we didn't find the stockpiles we thought we would find,
knowing everything we know today, he would have voted to go into Iraq
and remove Saddam Hussein from power. I appreciate him clearing all
this up. (Applause.) But I caution you, I caution you, there's still
62 days left for him to change his mind. (Applause.)
I'm running because I understand we have more to do to make this
country secure. We will continue to work with friends and allies
around the world to pursue the terrorists and foreign fighters in Iraq
and Afghanistan and elsewhere. You cannot talk sense to these people.
You cannot negotiate with them. You cannot hope for the best with
them. We must aggressively pursue them around the world so we do not
have to face them here at home. (Applause.)
America will continue to lead the world with confidence and moral
clarity. We put together a strong coalition to help us defeat terror.
There's nearly 40 nations involved in Afghanistan, some 30 nations
involved in Iraq. Over the next four years, we'll continue to build on
the alliances and work with our friends for the cause of security and
peace. But I will never turn over America's national security
decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
We will keep our commitment -- we'll keep our commitments in
Afghanistan and Iraq. We've set clear goals: peaceful and democratic
countries that are allies in the war on terror. they'll be allies in
the war on terror. It's our interest that those countries become
peaceful and democratic countries. It's in our interest that they
become allies in the war on terror.
They're run by strong leaders now. Our military will help them on
their way to the political process that the people demand. We'll help
train Iraqis and Afghan citizens so they can do the hard work of
defending their democracy. Our troops will complete this mission as
quickly as possible so they do not have to stay a day longer than
necessary. (Applause.)
In these crucial times our commitments are kept by the fine men and
women of the United States military. (Applause.) At bases across our
country and around the world I've had the privilege of meeting with
them. I've seen their unselfish courage and their great decency. I
appreciate the veterans who are here today for having set such a great
example for those who wear our uniform. (Applause.)
I made a commitment to our troops and to the loved ones of our
troops that they will have the resources they need to fight and win
this war against the terrorists. Last September, while our troops were
in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental funding to
support them in their mission. This legislation provided funding for
body armor, vital equipment, hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition,
fuel, and spare parts. It was an important funding request and it
received significant bipartisan support. As a matter of fact, so
strong that only 12 members of the United States Senate voted against
it, two of whom are my opponent and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: So they asked him to explain his vote. And here's
actually what he said: "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before
I voted against it." (Laughter.) Now he's offering different
explanations. They said -- he said he's proud of the vote. And they
kept pressing him, and he said, well, the whole thing was a complicated
matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in
combat. (Applause.)
In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force alone. We
must work to change the conditions that give rise to terror: poverty
and hopelessness and resentment. A free and peaceful Iraq and a free
and peaceful Afghanistan will serve as powerful examples of liberty in
a neighborhood that is desperate for freedom. (Applause.) Free
countries do not export terror. Free countries provide listen to the
dreams of their people. By serving the cause of liberty, we're helping
others and we're making our country more secure. By serving the cause
of liberty, we're helping to spread the peace that we all want. By
serving the cause of liberty, we're serving the deepest ideals of our
country. Freedom is not America's gift to the world; freedom is the
Almighty God's gift to every man and woman in this world. (Applause.)
We have more to do to protect our country. Enemies who hate us are
still plotting to harm us. We have a difference of opinion on these
terrorists. My opponent said that going to war with the terrorists is
actually improving their recruiting efforts. I think the logic is
upside-down. If you ever hear that, tell your friends and neighbors
that during the 1990s, the terrorists were recruiting and training for
war with us long before we went to war with them. These people don't
need an excuse for their hatred. I think it's wrong to blame America
for the anger and the evil of the killers. We don't create terrorists
by fighting back; we will defeat the terrorists by fighting back.
(Applause.)
There are a lot of really fine people at the federal level, the
state level, and first responders at the local level who are working
hard to protect us. I want to thank the first responders who are here
today. I want to thank you for your dedication. (Applause.)
The cooperation has never been better between the federal, state
and local government. We're working hard to make sure we get the best
intelligence-gathering capability. It's important that we know the
movements of the enemy. And so we're pushing for reforms for
intelligence-gathering. It's essential that we renew the Patriot Act
so law enforcement has the tools necessary to find and disrupt
terrorist activity in the United States. (Applause.) We've been
pushing hard for reforms to make sure we better guard our borders and
safeguard our ports. We created the Department of Homeland Security.
These reforms are hard in Washington. See, there's a lot of
entrenched interests there, a lot of people who like the status quo.
It's not enough to advocate reform, you have to be able to get the job
done. So when you're out campaigning, remind people that when it comes
to reforming schools, raising the bar and closing that achievement gap,
we're getting the job done. (Applause.) When it comes to health care
reforms and helping our seniors with modern health, we're getting the
job done. (Applause.) When it comes to improving our economy and
growing jobs so people can find work, we're getting the job done.
(Applause.) When it comes to better security in the homeland and
defeating the terrorists and spreading freedom and peace, we're getting
the job done. (Applause.) And when you're out there working hard to
garner the vote and gather the vote, tell them, when it comes time to
choose a President put somebody in there who can get the job done.
(Applause.)
Tomorrow night I'm going to talk about how this world of ours is
changing, and government must change with the changing world to make
people's lives easier, to give people a chance to be able to realize
the full promise of tomorrow. Changing times are difficult times. And
one way to help add security to people's lives during changing times is
to promote an ownership society. See, if you own your own health care
account and you change jobs, you'll have the security of being able to
take it with you from job to job.
We've got a lot of younger folks here today. And I appreciate you
coming. (Applause.) Baby boomers like me are in good shape when it
comes to Social Security. The system is sound for people like me and
older. But if you're a younger worker, you better listen carefully to
the debate about the retirement systems here in America. I believe
younger workers ought to be able to take some of their own tax money
and create a personal savings account as a part of Social Security.
(Applause.)
We'll continue to create an environment so that people are willing
to take risk and create their own small business. We want more small
business owners in America. (Applause.) One of the most hopeful
statistics is the fact that today the home ownership rate is at an
all-time high in America. (Applause.) During changing times, owning
your own home brings stability in your life. See, we're going to
continue to promote an ownership society in America because it brings
stability during changing times, but also because I understand when a
person owns something, they have a vital stake in the future of our
country. (Applause.)
In a time of change, there's some things that won't change: the
individual values we try to live by -- courage and compassion,
reverence and integrity; our believe in liberty and opportunity, and
the non-negotiable demands of human dignity. In changing times we must
value the institutions that give us direction and purposes: our
families, our schools, our religious congregations. We believe and
stand for institutions like marriage and family, which are the
foundations of our society. (Applause.) We stand for a culture of
life in which every person matters and every person counts.
(Applause.) We stand for judges who faithfully interpret the law,
instead of legislating from the bench. (Applause.) We stand for a
culture of responsibility.
You know, the culture is changing from one that says, if it feels
good, do it, and if you've got a problem, blame somebody else -- to a
culture in which of us understands we're responsible for the decisions
we make in life. If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or a
father, you're responsible for loving your child with all your heart
and all your soul. (Applause.) If you're worried about the quality of
the education in the community in which you live, you're responsible
for doing something about it. (Applause.) If you're a CEO in
corporate America, you are responsible for telling the truth to your
shareholders and your employees. (Applause.) And in a responsibility
society, each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like
we'd like to be loved ourselves. (Applause.)
For all Americans, these years in our history will stand apart.
You know, there are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a
time that requires firm resolve, clear vision, and an unyielding belief
in the values that make this country a wonderful land. (Applause.)
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and
another began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of
the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers
in hard hats yelling at me at the top of their lungs, "Whatever it
takes." I was thanking people for their work, and a fellow looked me
right in the eye and he said, "Do not let me down." Since that day, I
have a duty that has gone on. I wake up every morning trying to figure
out how best to protect our country. I will never relent in defending
America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: We have come through much together. We have done a
lot of hard work. We're moving this country forward, but there's more
work to be done. During the next four years, we will spread ownership
and hope and opportunity to every corner of this country. I mean every
corner. We will pass the enduring values of this country on to a
younger generation. We will continue to spread freedom and peace.
You know, when I campaigned across your state four years ago, I
said, if you gave me the great honor of serving as President, I would
uphold the honor and the dignity of the office. (Applause.) And with
your hard work, and with your help, I will do so for four more years.
God bless. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) Thank you all.
Thank you all. (Applause.)
END 6:03 P.M. EDT
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