For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
October 1, 2004
Remarks by the Vice President Preceding a Presidential Debate Watching Party
Denver Marriott City Center
Denver, Colorado
September 30, 2004
6:36 P.M. MDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: This looks like Bush-Cheney country.
(Applause.) Well, we're delighted to be here tonight. It's a very,
very special occasion during a very important campaign. Obviously,
everybody has been looking forward to the debate. And I think the
President is ready. I noticed there was sort of a last minute flurry
on the Kerry side -- (laughter) -- about the lights on the podium.
(Laughter.) They signed an agreement approving the lights, and then
complained about them. I guess, that's sort of like John Kerry he was
for the lights before he was against the lights. (Laughter and
applause.)
And of course, next Tuesday I have a little rendezvous with
destiny. I get to debate -- (applause) -- I get to debate my opponent,
John Kerry -- no, what's his name? He's the other John. (Laughter and
applause.) Oh, yes, well, I get them confused sometimes. (Laughter.)
But everybody said John Edwards got picked for the job because he
was good looking, charming, sexy, and had great hair. (Laughter.) And
I said, how do you think I got the job? (Applause.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: All right. (Laughter.) I'm not going to
follow up on that one. But we are -- we're delighted to be here and to
share this evening with you. It is a very special evening. And I want
to be serious just for a moment because this election this year is, I
think, the most important of my lifetime -- not just because my name is
on the ballot but because with the choice we've got to make, we're
going to set the course for the nation's security for the next four
years as we pick a Commander-in-Chief -- but even beyond that, because
I personally believe we're deciding on a basic, fundamental national
security strategy that will be key to defending America and to winning
the war on terror in the years ahead. So it's an important choice.
(Applause.)
What we're going to see tonight is a President who has demonstrated
clearly and conclusively now for nearly four years that he means what
he says, he says what he means, that he is absolutely determined that
we will use the full power of the United States to go after the
terrorists wherever they exist, and after those who support and sponsor
terror. (Applause.)
That's going to be crucial in terms of winning through to victory
both in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both countries are making significant
progress. Eighteen months ago, of course, Saddam Hussein was in power
in Iraq. Tonight, he's in jail. (Applause.) We were visited recently
by Prime Minister Allawi in Washington -- addressed a joint session of
Congress. He's been in power about 90 days now, but he's absolutely
committed to the course we're on. They'll have elections next
January. And a year after that, we should have a democratically
elected government in place in Iraq. (Applause.)
And of course, in Afghanistan, they are going to have the first
election in their history in about 10 days, on October 9th.
(Applause.) They've registered 10 million people to vote for the first
time ever, almost half of them women. (Applause.) And by the end of
the year, there will be a democratically elected government in place in
Afghanistan, that state from whence the terrorists that struck us on
9/11 launched.
The key to the success going forward is to have a President of the
United States who has the vision, the understanding, a commitment to a
strategy, a willingness to make decisions, and then to go forward on
that strategy regardless of the political pressures that come to bear
-- a man who is willing to make the toughest decision that can come to
anybody in the Oval Office, a man who understands that once you commit
American troops to combat, you support them 100 percent. (Applause.)
Now, unfortunately I haven't seen that kind of commitment, or those
kinds of qualities in the President's opponent.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And it will be interesting to watch tonight to
see how this proceeds in terms of what Senator Kerry says about all
these issues because he's been so many different places -- (laughter)
-- over the course of the last couple of years. If you look back at a
20-year record in the United States Senate that he doesn't seem to want
to talk about, he's consistently opposed strong national security
postures and policies. He voted against most of the Reagan build-up in
the 1980s that led to us to win the Cold War. When I was Secretary of
Defense, he voted against Desert Storm in 1991 -- the first time we
took on Saddam Hussein and liberated Kuwait.
And of course, this last time around, he voted for the war and for
the use of force, and then when the issue was whether or not we'd
support the troops with $87 billion that was needed, he opposed it --
after he said he was both for and against it.
AUDIENCE: Booo! Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: What are you guys doing for the next five
weeks? You want to travel with me? (Applause.)
So keep all that in mind tonight as we watch these debates. I
think you'll see a very clear choice between the President who has done
it, and who is absolutely committed to the right course of action, and
a senator who is not quite certain what he believes. And whatever he
says tonight, it will contradict something he said within the course of
this campaign. (Laughter.)
But the good news is things are looking very good out there from
the standpoint of the election. Things look very good here in
Colorado. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Pete! Pete! Pete!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Next January, I get to swear in Pete Coors as
the new senator. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Pete! Pete! Pete!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: And I heard -- I heard the other day that
things are even looking good in Massachusetts. (Applause.) There was
a news account of a group of delegates leaving the Democratic National
Convention earlier this year, I guess, back in July. And as they were
leaving, they stopped a Boston policeman and asked for directions. And
he replied, he said, leave here -- (laughter) -- and go vote
Republican. (Applause.)
Well, it's going to be a great evening. We look forward to coming
back right after the debate is over with and having a chance to share
it all with you. We appreciate very much that you're here. We
appreciate your support in this campaign. And enjoy yourselves. We'll
be back shortly. (Applause.)
END 6:45 P.M. MDT
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