For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 23, 2004
President's Remarks at Victory 2004 Rally in Bangor, Maine
Bangor International Airport
Bangor, Maine
4:03 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) I'm honored
to be back in this beautiful state. I wasn't sure I'd be invited back
after the last time I came -- I didn't make my bed. (Laughter.) What
a beautiful day in such a glorious part of the world. I'm so honored
you all came. I'm here to ask for the vote. That's what I'm doing.
(Applause.)
I believe you got to get out amongst the people and ask for the
vote, and tell them why you're running. That's what I'm here to do
today. (Applause.) I'm also here to ask for your help. I'd like for
you to register your friends and neighbors. I'd like for you to remind
people in the community in which you live, we have a responsibility in
a free society to go to the polls. (Applause.) When you're out there
registering, make sure you register all Republicans, make sure you
register independents. Don't overlook discerning Democrats like Zell
Miller. (Applause.) And then once you get them registered, get them
headed to the polls. (Applause.) And when you get them headed to the
polls, tell them, if they want a safer America, a stronger America, and
a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
(Applause.)
My only regret is that Laura is not here with me. (Applause.) She
was a public school librarian in Texas when I asked her to marry me.
She said, fine, I'll marry you, just so long as I never have to give a
political speech. (Laughter.) I said, okay. Fortunately, she didn't
hold me to the promise. The other night in New York City, the American
people got to see Laura at her best, her -- decent, strong,
compassionate woman. (Applause.) She's a great mom, a great wife, she
needs to be the First Lady for four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I'm proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney.
(Applause.) Now, listen, I admit he doesn't have the waviest hair in
the race. (Laughter.) Some of you out there don't either.
(Laughter.) I didn't pick him for his hair. I picked him for his
judgment; I picked him because he's a man of a lot of experience; I
picked him because he can get the job done on behalf of the American
people. (Applause.)
I want to thank Peter Cianchette, my chairman here in the state. I
want to thank all of the grassroots activists -- people like Pete who
are putting up the signs and making the phone calls. It takes a lot of
work to get this many people to show up here in Bangor, Maine. I want
to thank all of those who helped turn out such a great crowd.
(Applause.) I appreciate your effort. It means a lot.
I'm sorry the two United States senators are -- they're working for
you. I appreciate their friendship. I'm proud to call Olympia Snowe
and Susan Collins, friends. I know you're proud to call them,
Senator. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the statehouse people who are here. I
appreciate you serving your community. I appreciate your serving your
state. I also appreciate Brian Hamel. I flew down from Washington,
D.C. with Brian Hamel. (Applause.) I had a chance to visit with him.
There's no doubt in my mind he should be the next congressman from the
second congressional district. (Applause.) And I want to thank his
wife, Gail, and his daughters, Natalie, Abbie, and Molly, for
supporting their dad when he's out running for the Congress.
I want to thank Charlie Summers. He's running the first
congressional district. (Applause.) When he wins, he's going to have
old '41 and Barbara as constituents. (Laughter.)
I want to thank Jim Tobin, my regional chairman. I want to thank
Mark Wills for being here. Mark, thank you. Proud you're here. I
want to thank the high school band that's joined us today. John Bapst
Band, thank you for coming. (Applause.) I will try to keep my speech
short so you can get home and do your homework. (Laughter.)
I want to thank Steve -- I want to thank Steve Hanington. He's the
President of the American's Logger Council. I appreciate you coming.
(Applause.) I want to thank all the loggers who are here today.
(Applause.) Thank you for helping us put together the Healthy Forest
Initiative. (Applause.) Good piece of legislation. I appreciate you
working on it with us. I want to thank the lobstermen who are here
with us today. (Applause.)
Oh, yes, I want to thank the Bangor Chapter of the Blue Star
Mothers of America for being here. (Applause.) Thank you for coming.
The Freeport Flag Ladies are with us. WAVES International is with us.
Veterans of the Military Order of the Purple Heart are with us.
(Applause.)
I'm really looking forward to this campaign. (Applause.) I like
to get out and talk about what I believe, where I stand, and where I'm
going to lead this nation for the next four years. (Applause.) I
believe every child can learn and every school should teach.
(Applause.) I went to Washington, D.C. to challenge the soft bigotry
of low expectation. We had a practice in this country where in some
public schools kids were just shuffled through grade after grade, year
after year, without learning the basics. And that wasn't right. We
need to raise the standards. (Applause.) We need to trust the local
people to design a curriculum that works best in the local community.
We need to support our teachers and principals. We need to measure
early and solve problems before they're too late. (Applause.)
The reforms we passed are working. The minority gap is closing.
The achievement gap amongst minority students is closing in America.
We're making progress, and we're not turning back. (Applause.)
I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our citizens with
good health care. See, I went up to Washington to solve problems, not
to pass them on to future Presidents and future generations.
(Applause.) I saw -- I saw a problem in Medicare. Medicine was
changing and Medicare wasn't. Take this fact -- Medicare would pay
$100,000 for heart surgery, but wouldn't pay for the prescription drugs
to prevent the heart surgery from being needed in the first place.
That wasn't fair for our seniors. It meant the system needed to be
changed for the better. I called the Republicans and Democrats
together. I signed a law that strengthened Medicare. Our seniors will
be getting prescription drugs in 2006, and we're not turning back.
(Applause.)
I believe in the energy, innovation and spirit of our workers, our
loggers, our lobstermen, our small business owners, our farmers and
ranchers. And that's why we unleashed that energy with the largest tax
cut in a generation. (Applause.)
We've been through a lot. This economy has been through a lot.
When you're out there rounding up the vote, remind people what we have
been through. That stock market started to go down about five months
before we showed up in Washington. Then we had a recession we had to
live with. Started to come out of that recession, and some citizens in
this country forgot what it meant to be a responsible citizen. They
fudged the books. They didn't tell the truth. It created a crisis of
confidence. Those corporate scandals hurt our economy. We've passed
tough laws in Washington. It's abundantly clear now that we're not
going to tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America. (Applause.)
And then the enemy hit us. Some estimate that it cost us a million
jobs in the three months after September the 11th; I mean, we've been
through some tough times when it comes to this economy. Yet, we're
overcoming those obstacles. Our economy is strong and it is getting
stronger. Our economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in
nearly 20 years. The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent.
That's lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
(Applause.) The unemployment rate in the state of Maine is 4.5
percent. This economy is strong, it is getting stronger, and we're not
going to turn back. (Applause.)
I believe the most solemn duty of the American President is to
protect the American people. (Applause.) If America shows uncertainty
and weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This
will not happen on my watch. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I am running for President with a clear and
positive plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America. I'm
running with a compassionate conservative philosophy that government
should help people improve their lives, not try to run their lives.
(Applause.) I believe this nation wants steady, consistent, principled
leadership. And that's why, with your help, we'll carry Maine and win
a great victory in November. (Applause.)
I understand the world we live in is changing. Think about what
happened over the past 30 years. You know, the workplace used to be a
place where a man would only show up, and they'd have one job, one
career, one pension plan, one health care plan. Today, the world is
different. People change jobs and careers quite often. And today, the
workplace is diversified. Women work in the house, and now, out of the
house. (Applause.) And yet -- and yet -- and yet, when you think
about it, the most fundamental institutions -- our tax code, our health
coverage, our pension plans, our worker training programs, our labor
laws -- were created for the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. I'm
running to transform these systems so all our citizens are equipped and
prepared, and thus, truly free to make your own choices and realize the
great dreams of our country. (Applause.)
Listen, any hopeful society has got to have a growing economy. And
I have a plan to make sure this prosperity lasts. To create more jobs
in America, America must be the best place in the world to do
business. If you want jobs here, if you want people to be able to find
a job, it's got to be the best place in the world. And that means less
regulations on our small business owners. (Applause.) That means we
got to do something about these junk lawsuits that are making it hard
for employers to expand the job base. (Applause.)
Listen, if you want to keep jobs here, we got to have us an energy
plan. I proposed a plan to the United States Congress two years ago;
they need to get it to my desk. If we want jobs to be created here, we
got to do a better job on conservation. We got to do a better job on
promoting renewables such ethanol and biodiesel. We got to modernize
our electricity grid. We got to use our clean coal technology to make
sure we can use the energy here at home. We got to explore for natural
gas in an environmentally-friendly ways. If we want jobs here in
America, this country must become less dependent on foreign sources of
energy. (Applause.)
Part of my plan to make sure jobs are here in America so people can
find work is to open up markets overseas. See, we open our markets.
And that's good for you as a consumer. If you have more products to
choose from, you're likely to get that which you want at a better price
and higher quality. That's how the market works. So I'm saying to
places like China, you treat us the way we treat you. You open up your
markets just like we have ours. See, we can compete with anybody,
anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair. (Applause.)
To make sure this economy grows, we got to be wise about how we
spend your money and keep your taxes low. Taxes are an issue in this
campaign. The fellow I'm running against has proposed $2.2 trillion in
new federal spending so far.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And we still got October to go. (Laughter.) Two
trillion dollars is a lot even for a senator from Massachusetts.
(Laughter.) So they asked him -- they said, well, how are you going to
pay for this? He said, I'll just tax the rich. Now, you've heard that
before, haven't you? First of all, you can't raise enough money to pay
for $2.2 trillion by taxing the rich. There's a tax gap. Guess who
gets to fill the tax gap in American history. You do. Secondly, when
they say, tax the rich, be careful. It's rich -- rich hire lawyers and
accountants for a reason, to stick you with the bill. We're not going
to let him raise your taxes. We're going to carry Maine and we're
going to win in November. (Applause.)
Let me also say something about the tax code. The tax code is a
complicated mess. You realize, it's a million pages long. Americans
spend six billion hours a year on taxes. I think we need to simplify
the tax code. I think we need to make the tax code more fair. I'm
going to call Republicans and Democrats together in a new term to make
sure this tax code works for the people, not against the people.
(Applause.)
Listen, in a changing world, the job base changes. And there's a
skills gap in America in some places. You know, I remember going down
to North Carolina where the textile industry had been hit hard, and
yet, the health care industry was growing. And there's a skills gap,
because a lot of people in the textile industry who wanted to work
didn't have the skills necessary to be in the health care industry.
That's why I'm such a big believer in the community college system here
in America. We need to make our community colleges accessible so
workers can gain the skills they need to fill the jobs of the 21st
century. (Applause.)
And most new jobs are filled by people with at least two years of
college. That's what the changing world demands. And yet, only about
one in four of our students gets there. That's why, in our high
schools, we'll fund early intervention programs to help students at
risk. We'll place a new focus on math and science. Over time, we'll
require rigorous exams before graduation from high school. By raising
performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants for low
and middle-income families, more Americans will start their career with
a college degree. (Applause.)
We've got to do something about our health care system. We have a
fundamental difference in this campaign about health care. When it
comes to health care, my opponent wants government to dictate, I want
you to decide. (Applause.) Half the uninsured in America work for
small businesses. Small businesses are having trouble affording health
care. One way to help small businesses, one way to help those who work
for small businesses is to allow small businesses to pool together, to
be able to buy insurance at the same discounts big companies are able
to do. (Applause.) My opponent opposes such a plan. See, ours is
common-sense plan. Ours is a practical plan. Ours is a plan that
doesn't let the federal government decide everything for you.
(Applause.)
I believe that we ought to expand tax free health savings
accounts. I believe we ought to give small businesses tax credits, to
encourage them to put money in small -- in a health savings accounts,
so small business employees can get coverage. I know we need to expand
community health centers all across America, places where the poor and
the indigent can get good primary and preventative care. (Applause.)
I know -- I'll tell you what else I know. In order to make sure we
do something about the rising cost of health care and the availability
of health care, we got to stop these junk lawsuits that are running
good docs out of practice. (Applause.) Ask your doctor what it's like
to get sued all the time. A lot of them are quitting practice. I met
OB/GYNs across the country, all across the country who are quitting
their practice. That means a lot of women are hurting, all of it
because these junk lawsuits are running up the cost of staying in
business. It doesn't make any sense. You can't be pro-doctor,
pro-patient and pro-trial lawyer at the same time. I think you have to
make a choice. My opponent has made his choice, and he put a trial
lawyer on the ticket.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: I made my choice: I stand for medical liability
reform -- now. (Applause.)
Now, there's a lot of -- a big difference in this campaign. But
anything we do in this administration to make sure health care is
available and affordable will mean that the decisions will be made by
doctors and patients, not by bureaucrats and insurance companies and
the government. (Applause.)
New term, let me tell you what else we're going to do. In a
changing times, ownership helps bring stability to people's life.
During my administration, more people own a home than ever before.
(Applause.) More and more people are owning their own home. What a
hopeful sign that is. What a stabilizing influence that is. Over the
next four years, we'll continue to expand home ownership. I like the
thought of more and more people opening up the door where they live and
say, welcome to my piece of property, welcome to my home. Come on in
to my place. (Applause.)
I tell you what else we need to think about -- and that is the
retirement systems. Let me talk about Social Security here for a
minute. If you're on Social Security, you'll be paid. Don't care what
they say in the course of the campaigns. The government will honor its
commitment to you. The Social Security trust has got enough money to
take care of you. Baby boomers like me, we're in pretty good shape
when it comes to Social Security. But we need to think about the
younger kids. We need to think about our children and our
grandchildren. I believe younger workers ought to be allowed to take
some of their own money and set aside a personal savings account to
make sure that Social Security works, a personal savings account they
call their own, a personal savings account that government cannot take
away. (Applause.)
In a world of change, some things do not change -- the values we
try to live by: courage and compassion, reverence and integrity. In
times of change, we must support the institutions that give our lives
direction and purpose -- our families, our schools, our religious
congregations. We stand for a culture of life in which every person
counts and every being matters. (Applause.) We stand for marriage and
family which are the foundations of our society. (Applause.) I stand
for the appointment of federal judges who know the difference between
personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
(Applause.) I stand for supporting faith-based organizations.
(Applause.) Men and women of faith are performing works of hope and
compassion all across our country. They're renewing communities,
they're helping lift up lives, and they deserve fair treatment by our
government.
That's the position I share with Republicans and Democrats, from
many callings in life, including a fine citizen in Maine named John
Kerry. Now, Kerry runs Catholic Charities Maine in Falmouth, which
helps people all over this state. A few years ago, the city of
Portland denied federal funding to Catholic Charities because John
Kerry refused to compromise his organization's beliefs. Here's what he
said: "Just because you're religious doesn't mean you should be
stopped from providing services." That's one John Kerry I agree with.
(Applause.)
For those of you involved in your communities, for those of you
who've heard the call to love a neighbor like you'd like to be loved
yourself, thank you for your works of compassion. Thank you for making
a difference in America. (Applause.)
This election will also determine how America responds to the
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of
September the 11th, 2001, we have fought the terrorists across the
Earth, not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our
citizens are at stake. (Applause.) Our strategy is clear: We're
defending the homeland; we're transforming our military; we're
strengthening our intelligence services. We are staying on the
offensive. We are striking the terrorists abroad so we do not have to
face them here at home. (Applause.) We will work to advance liberty
and freedom in the broader Middle East and around the world, and we
will prevail. (Applause.)
Our strategy is succeeding. Think about the world some four years
ago. Afghanistan was the home base of al Qaeda. Pakistan was a
transit point for terrorist groups. Saudi Arabia was fertile ground
for terrorist fundraising. Libya was secretly pursing nuclear
weapons. Iraq was a gathering threat. Al Qaeda was largely
unchallenged as it planned attacks. Today, because we acted,
Afghanistan is fighting terror, Pakistan is capturing terrorist
leaders, Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests, Libya is dismantling
its nuclear weapons programs, the army of a free Iraq is fighting for
freedom, and more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's leaders and
associates have been brought to justice. (Applause.) We have led,
many have joined and America and the world are safer. (Applause.)
This progress involved careful diplomacy, clear, moral purpose and
some tough decisions.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: That's what you have! Thank you! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: And the toughest decision came on Iraq. See, we
knew Saddam's record. We knew he harbored terrorists, like Abu Nidal.
That's the leader of the terrorist organization that carried out
attacks in Europe and Asia. We knew he -- Saddam harbored Abu Abbas.
He took -- found refuge in Baghdad, after he killed an American, Leon
Klinghoffer. Saddam paid the families of suicide bombers. Saddam was
a sworn enemy of America. Saddam not only desired weapons of mass
destruction, he used weapons of mass destruction. Saddam was a
threat. He was a threat. And after September the 11th, our country
must think differently. We must take threats seriously, before they
fully materialize. (Applause.)
So I went to the Congress. They looked at the same intelligence I
looked at. They remembered the same history I remembered. And they
concluded Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force.
My opponent looked at the same intelligence and he voted "yes" when it
came to the authorization of force.
Listen, before the Commander-in-Chief ever puts any troops into
harm's way, we must try all options -- all options -- to solve a
problem. (Applause.) That's why I went to the United Nations. I was
hoping diplomacy would work. I was hoping we could solve this problem
peacefully. The toughest decision a President ever has to make is to
put our kids into harm's way.
So I gave a speech to the United Nations. They looked at the same
intelligence I had looked at. They remembered the same history we
remembered. And they voted 15-to-nothing to say to Saddam Hussein:
disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences. The other day in the
United Nations I said, when an international body say something, they
better mean what they say. (Applause.) If you don't mean it, don't
say it. (Applause.)
Saddam Hussein ignored the demands of the free world. Again. This
wasn't the first resolution he ignored. He had been ignoring
resolutions for nearly a decade. He wasn't about to disarm. He wasn't
about to listen to the world. As a matter of fact, when the U.N. sent
inspectors into that country, he systematically deceived the
inspectors.
So I have a choice at this point, diplomacy has failed, we had
given Saddam Hussein his last chance, his decision to make: Do I take
the word of a madman and forget the lessons of September the 11th or
take action to defend this country? Given that choice, I will defend
America every time. (Applause.)
Because we acted to defend ourself, because we mean -- we meant
what we said, today 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq live in
freedom. (Applause.) I want you to think about Afghanistan here for a
minute. It wasn't all that long ago that these poor people were
subjected to the brutal ways of the Taliban. These barbarians have a
dark vision of the world. As a matter of fact, they think exactly
opposite of Americans. They're against -- they don't believe in
freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of anything. They
believe you either toe their line or there will be reprisals.
Think about a society in which many young girls were not allowed to
go to school because of the Taliban. Or a society in which their
mothers were pulled out in the public square and whipped and, in some
cases, executed in the sports stadium because they wouldn't toe the
line. Today, because America acted, 10 million citizens -- 41 percent
of whom are women -- have registered to vote in the upcoming October
presidential elections. (Applause.) It's an amazing thought, isn't
it? (Applause.) It's an amazing statistic when you think about it.
There were some skeptics who thought, well, maybe people don't want
to be free. Everybody longs to be free. People yearn to be free in
this world. (Applause.) And those 10 million citizens are showing it
as this election comes closer. Of course, there's going to be
violence, because these dark-visioned people, these evil folks cannot
stand the thought of a free society emerging in that part of the
world.
Today, I met with Prime Minister Allawi, a strong man. (Applause.)
He does deserve our praise. He's a courageous fellow. In the press
conference I had with him today I reminded the people that were
listening that Prime Minister Allawi woke up in an apartment one day in
London, England -- see, he had been exiled out of Iraq. Saddam Hussein
wanted to get him -- and he woke up in a bed -- this is a true story
I'm telling you, he told me, personally -- he woke up in the middle of
the night; two people were standing by his bed with axes. They had
been sent by Saddam Hussein. Fortunately, by the grace of God, he woke
up in time, rolled -- got hurt pretty bad, recovered, went back to his
country because he believes in freedom. He's ready to do the hard
work. He is a strong man. (Applause.) There will be elections in
January of 2005 in Iraq. (Applause.) And we're going to stand with
the people of Afghanistan and Iraq because when America gives its word,
America must keep its word. (Applause.)
We're also making our country safer. See, free societies in the
Middle East will be hopeful societies which no longer feed resentments
and breed violence for export. Free governments in the Middle East
will fight the terrorists instead of harboring them and supporting
them. Listen, our strategy is clear. We'll help the new leaders train
armies so that Iraq citizens and Afghan citizens can do the hard work
of defending their country against those who would stop the advance of
freedom. There are over 25 million people in that country who desire
to be free. There's only a few relative to the 25 million who are
trying to start -- stop the march of freedom. We'll help them get on
the path of stability and democracy as quickly as possible, then our
troops will come home with the honor they have earned. (Applause.)
I am proud of the United States military. I'm proud of the men and
women who serve. (Applause.) I've seen their unselfish courage and
their great decency. I want to thank the veterans who are here for
having set such a great example for those who wear the uniform.
(Applause.) You know, the airport here is often the first stop in the
United States for our troops returning home. No matter what hour they
arrive or what the weather is like, citizens of Maine come here to
thank our troops for their service. (Applause.) It's got to make them
feel great. I thank you for doing that.
I met Bill Knight. He organizes the Maine troop greeters, to
welcome military personnel here. I appreciate Bill, and I appreciate
all those who work with Bill.
I want to thank the military families who are here today.
(Applause.) I made a commitment to our troops and to their loved ones,
they'll have all the resources they need to do their jobs.
(Applause.) So I went to the Congress last year and requested $87
billion of supplemental funding to support our troops in combat in both
Afghanistan and Iraq. This was really important money. This was money
for fuel, spare parts, body armor, hazard pay, health benefits, that
which is necessary to support people in harm's way. And it was
important. Fortunately, most members of the Congress understood how
important it was. We got great bipartisan support, so strong that only
12 members -- 12 members -- of the United States Senate voted against
this important funding, two of whom are my opponent and his running
mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: When you're out gathering the vote, when you're out
convincing people to go to the polls and vote, remind them of this
fact: Only four United States senators voted to authorize the use of
force, and then voted against funding our troops -- two of whom are my
opponent and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Of course, they asked him, you know, they said,
why? And he said, well, I actually did vote for the $87 billion,
before I voted against it. I don't think a lot of people speak that
way in Bangor, Maine. (Applause.) They kept pressing him and he said
he was proud of vote. Finally, he said, the whole thing was a
complicated matter. There's nothing complicated about supporting our
troops in combat. (Applause.)
There's hard work to do in Iraq. The Prime Minister told me
they're making progress. Yet, as we're seeing on our TV screens, the
terrorists are desperately trying to block that progress, is what
they're trying to do. Our military cannot be beat in Iraq.
(Applause.) They can't beat us. They do have a weapon, though, and
that is they're cold-blooded killers. They'll behead somebody -- and
our prayers go to the families here in America. Our hearts break when
we see that on our TV screens. These killers know that. See, they
know we have a conscience and they don't. They're trying to shake our
will.
We're going to help this government in Iraq. We'll help them --
(audience interruption) -- help them build their troops. We'll help
them build their infrastructure. We have a strategy that says to our
commanders, adapt to the ways on the ground. You've got the support
your need to do what you need to do. The way to prevail, the way
toward the successful conclusion we all want, the way to secure Iraq
and bring our troops home is not to wilt or waver or send mixed signals
to the enemy. (Applause.) We can grieve, but we will not waver.
(Applause.)
Incredibly, this week, my opponent said he would prefer the
dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the situation in Iraq today.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: You cannot lead the war on terror if you wilt when
times are tough. (Applause.) You cannot expect the Iraqi people to
stand up and do the hard work of democracy if you are pessimistic about
their abilities. You cannot expect the Iraqi people to do the hard
work if you say that they'd be better off with Saddam Hussein in
power. (Applause.) What kind of message does it send our troops, who
are risking their lives and who see firsthand the mission is hard, but
know the mission is critical to our success? Mixed signals are the
wrong signals. I will continue to lead with clarity, and when I say
something, I'll mean what I say. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: I appreciate -- I appreciate the contributions of
our friends and allies. I appreciate what they've been doing,
side-by-side with our troops and the Iraqi troops. Listen, we got a --
put together a broad coalition of about 40 nations in Afghanistan and
some 30 nations in Iraq. Over the next four years, I'll continue to
strengthen our alliances. But I will never turn over America's
national security decisions to other countries. (Applause.)
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. The wisest use
of America's strength is to advance freedom. A couple of days ago in
New York I was having a diet Coke with my friend, Prime Minister
Koizumi. He's the Prime Minister of Japan. I said, you know, I've
been talking about you on the campaign trail. He said, fine.
(Laughter.) I said, do you mind if I tell people your favorite singer
was Elvis? (Laughter.) He said, okay.
It's amazing that I am having that discussion with Prime Minister
Koizumi if you really think about it, because it wasn't all that long
ago in the march of history, some 60 years ago, Japan was a sworn enemy
of the United States of America. My dad fought them. Your dads and
granddads probably did, as well. And it was a tough war. A lot of
people lost their life. But after we won World War II, Harry Truman,
one of my predecessors, believed in the power of liberty to transform
societies and said, we'll work with Japan to build a democracy.
There were a lot of skeptics then, and you can imagine why -- a
lot of families had been turned upside down because of loss of life in
that horrible war. A lot of people were still angry that the Japanese
had attacked us in Pearl Harbor. A lot of people didn't believe an
enemy could become a friend. But there were people like Harry Truman
in this country who believed in the power of liberty. And today -- and
today, as a result of their belief -- think about this, now -- I sit
down with Prime Minister Koizumi and we talk about the peace we all
want. We're talking about the peace. Someday, an American President
will be sitting down with a duly-elected leader of Iraq talking about
the peace. And our children and our grandchildren will be better off
for it. (Applause.)
These are historic times, historic times, and the work is hard.
But we've done hard work before in this country. I believe that
millions in the Middle East plead in silence for their liberty. I
believe that women in the Middle East long to be free. I know that
women in the Middle East want their little girls and boys to be able to
grow up and realize their dreams. I believe that the people there, if
given a chance, will embrace the most honorable form of government
every devised by man. I believe these things because freedom is not
America's gift to the world. Freedom is the Almighty God's gift to
each man and woman in this world. (Applause.)
This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom
at home and abroad, we'll build a safer world and a more hopeful
America. By reforming our systems of government, we'll help more
Americans realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and opportunity
to every corner of America. We will pass the enduring values of our
country on to a young generation. We will continue to lead the cause
of freedom and peace. (Applause.)
For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
apart. 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 a deep faith in the
values that make this a great nation. (Applause.)
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and
another began. I certainly won't. I was there in the ruins of the
Twin Towers on September the 14th, 2001. The workers there -- I can
still hear them -- were chanting at me, "Whatever it takes." I was
doing my best to console folks that had just come out of the rubble. A
guy grabbed me by the arm. He looked me straight in the eye and said,
"You do not let me down." Ever since that day, I wake up trying to
figure out how best to protect our country. I will defend the security
of America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: Four years ago -- four years ago, as I traveled
your great state asking for the vote, I made a pledge. I said that if
you gave me the chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and the
dignity of the office to which I had been elected. With your help,
with your hard work, I will do so for four more years.
God bless. Thanks for coming. Thank you all. (Applause.)
END 4:48 P.M. EDT
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