For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 19, 2004
President's Remarks in St. Petersburg, Florida
Progress Energy Park AL Lang Field
St. Petersburg, Florida
9:15 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) Nothing
like spending a Tuesday morning at the ballpark. (Applause.) I can't
thank you enough for coming. It lifts our spirits to see so many
people here. (Applause.) It's close to voting time, and I'm here to
ask for your vote. (Applause.) We're going to travel your state
today, and we'll be back quite often, asking the people of Florida for
their vote.
I'm also here to ask for your help. See, you can vote now in
Florida. So get your friends and neighbors to do their duty. We have
a duty in this country to vote. And remind them when you get them
headed to the polls, if they want a safer America, a stronger America,
and a better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office.
(Applause.)
As I travel your state giving people a reason why they ought to put
me back in office, perhaps the most important one of all is so that
Laura is the First Lady for four more years. (Applause.) I'm really
proud of her, I love her a lot. She is a warm, compassionate, great
First Lady for this country. (Applause.)
And I'm proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney. (Applause.) He
does not have the waviest hair in this race. (Laughter.) I didn't
pick him because of his hairdo. (Laughter.) I picked him because of
his experience, his judgment, his ability to get the job done for the
American people. (Applause.)
And I'm proud of my brother, Jeb. (Applause.) In this time of
need, he has risen to the occasion. (Applause.) I have seen him
comfort those who have been hurt because of these hurricanes. I've
seen him put his arms around those who worry about their future. We're
doing everything we can to help this state get back on its feet. The
Governor of your state is providing strong and necessary leadership to
help. (Applause.)
And I know there are some -- I know there are some here who are
worried about the flu season. I want to assure them that our
government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and
children get their shots, despite the major manufacturing defect that
caused this problem. We have millions of vaccine doses on hand for the
most vulnerable Americans, and millions more will be shipped in the
coming weeks. We're stockpiling more than 4 million doses of flu
vaccine for children. We're working closely with state and local
officials to make sure we distribute vaccines to the most vulnerable
Americans throughout our country.
I am grateful to the healthy Americans who are deciding a flu shot
-- who are declining a flu shot this year, so that the most vulnerable
of our citizens will get the vaccine here in Florida and across the
nation. We will continue to do everything possible to help our
citizens. (Applause.)
I want to thank Lance Corporal Taylor Pancake for introducing Jeb
and being on the stage. (Applause.) I want to thank him for his
service to our country. (Applause.) By the way, our brother, Marvin
is with us today. I appreciate you coming, big Marv. There he is,
right there. (Applause.) See, we love our family. We've got a great
family. (Applause.) There's nothing like being on the campaign trail
with a brother you love. (Applause.) I've been looking forward to
this day -- not only do I have one brother I love, I've got two
brothers I love traveling the great state of Florida. (Applause.)
I'm proud to be able to work with Congressman Bill Young, the great
Congressman from Florida. (Applause.) Your Attorney General, Charlie
Crist, is with us today. Thanks for coming, General. (Applause.) Our
government is working with Charlie to make sure anybody who tries to
gouge the seniors of this state when it comes to the flu vaccine is
going to be held to account. (Applause.)
I'm honored that the Mayor took time to come by and say hello.
Mr. Mayor, Rick Baker, is with us today. Thank you for coming, Mayor,
proud you're here. (Applause.) I want to thank all the state and
local officials. I'm proud to be on the stage with the next United
States Senator from Florida, Mel Martinez. (Applause.) I know him
well. He's the right man for the right state at the right time for the
United States Senate. (Applause.) Kitty is here, too, Kitty
Martinez. She's going to make a great First Senator's wife.
(Applause.) Thanks for coming, Kitty, great to see you.
I want to thank my friend, Lee Greenwood, who's here. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the grassroots activists for what you're going to
do today and for the next two weeks to turn out the vote. (Applause.)
There is no doubt in my mind, with your help, we'll carry Florida again
and win a great victory in November. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: In the last few years, the American people have
gotten to know me. (Applause.) They know my blunt way of speaking.
(Applause.) I get that from Mother. (Applause.) They know I
sometimes mangle the English language. (Laughter.) I get that from
Dad. (Laughter.) They also know I tell you exactly what I'm going to
do, and I keep my word. (Applause.)
You know, our debates highlighted the stark differences between
Senator Kerry's views and mine. We have different records, we have
different plans for the future. My record is one of reforming
education, of lowering taxes, of providing prescription drug coverage
for our seniors, for improving homeland protections, and for waging an
aggressive war against the ideologues of hate. (Applause.)
My opponent's record is 20 years of out-of-the-mainstream votes.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Instead of articulating a vision or positive agenda
for the future, the Senator is relying on a litany of complaints and
old-style scare tactics.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: As proven by his record and a series of
contradictions in this campaign, my opponent will say anything he
thinks that will benefit him politically at the time. I will do what
I've said I will do. We will keep the promise of Social Security for
all our seniors. (Applause.) We will not have a draft; we'll keep the
all-volunteer army. (Applause.) With your help on November 2nd, the
people of America will reject the politics of fear, and vote for an
agenda of hope and opportunity and security for all Americans.
(Applause.)
When I came into office, the stock market had been in serious
decline for six months, and the American economy was sliding into a
recession. To help families and to get this economy growing again, I
pledged to reduce taxes, and I kept my word. (Applause.) And we have
gotten results for the American people. The recession was one of the
shallowest in American history. Over the last three years, our economy
has grown at the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.
(Applause.) The home ownership rate in America is at an all-time
high. (Applause.) Farm and ranch income is up. In the past 13 months
we've added more than 1.9 million new jobs. (Applause.) The
unemployment rate in America is 5.4 percent, lower than the average
rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. (Applause.) The unemployment
rate in Florida is 4.5 percent. (Applause.) This economy is moving
forward, and we're not going to go back to the days of tax and spend.
(Applause.)
To make sure jobs are here in America, to make sure we continue to
be a place where people can realize their dreams, America must be the
best place in the world to do business. (Applause.) We need to reduce
the burden of regulations on our job creators. We need to do something
about the junk lawsuits that are threatening the small business job
creators. (Applause.)
To create jobs here in America, Congress needs to pass my energy
plan. It's a plan that encourages the use of renewables, like ethanol
and biodiesel. It's a plan that encourages conservation. It
encourages new technologies, like clean coal technologies. It
encourages increased domestic production in environmentally friendly
ways. We will not drill off the coast of Florida. (Applause.) To
keep jobs here, we must become less dependent on foreign sources of
energy. (Applause.)
To create jobs here we need to reject economic isolationism. See,
we open up our markets for products from overseas, and that's good for
you. 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. (Applause.) Rather than shutting down our market,
we're working to convince others to open up theirs. I'm saying to
China, you treat us the way we treat you. We can compete with anybody,
anytime, anywhere, so long as the rules are fair. (Applause.)
To make sure this economy grows, we've got to be wise about how we
spend your money -- and keep your taxes low. (Applause.) Now, my
opponent has his own history on the economy.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: In 20 years as a Senator from Massachusetts, he has
built a record of -- a Senator from Massachusetts. (Applause.) He's
voted to raise taxes 98 times.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Think about that. He's been there 20 years; that's
a vote for a tax increase about five times every year.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: I would call it a pattern. He can run from his
record, but he cannot hide. (Applause.) Now, the Senator is promising
not to raise taxes for anyone who earns less than $200,000 a year. He
said that with a straight face. (Applause.) The problem is, to keep
that promise he would have to break almost all of his other ones.
(Applause.) See, he has promised more than $2.2 trillion of new federal
spending. That's trillion, with a "T." And to pay for it he said, aw,
he's just going to tax the rich. You know, we've heard that before.
You can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for $2.2
trillion of new spending, so there's a gap -- a gap between the promise
and a gap between what he can deliver. And guess who usually has to
fill that gap? (Applause.) I'll tell you what else is wrong with
taxing the rich. The rich hire lawyers and accountants for reason --
to slip the bill and pass it on to you. We're not going to let him tax
you. We're going to carry Florida and win a great victory in
November. (Applause.)
When I came into office, our public schools had been waiting
decades for hopeful reform. Fortunately, you had a Governor that did
not allow the wait. See, he knows what I know: that too many of our
children were being shuffled through, grade after grade, year after
year, without learning the basics. I pledged to restore accountability
to our schools and end the soft bigotry of low expectations, and I kept
my word. (Applause.) Our children are making sustained gains in
reading and math. We're closing an achievement gap for minority
students. We're making progress in our schools, and we're not going to
go back to the old days of mediocrity and low standards. (Applause.)
We have a changing world, and most new jobs are filled by people
with at least two years of a college education. Yet, only one in four
of our students gets there. That's why we will fund early intervention
programs at our high schools to help at-risk students. That's why
we'll place a new focus on math and science. Over time we'll require a
rigorous exam before graduation. By raising performance in our high
schools, by increasing and expanding Pell grants for low- and
middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their career
with a college diploma. (Applause.)
When I came into office, we had a problem with Medicare. Medicine
was changing, but Medicare was not. Let me give you an example.
Medicare would pay tens of thousands of dollars for heart surgery, but
would not pay a dime for the prescription drugs that could prevent the
heart surgery from being needed in the first place. That wasn't fair
to our seniors, it certainly was not fair to the taxpayers. I pledged
to bring Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen and modernize
Medicare for our seniors, and I kept my word. (Applause.) Seniors and
getting discounts on medicine. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will
be able to get prescription drug coverage under Medicare. (Applause.)
We're moving forward on health care and there's more to do. We
need to make sure health care is available and affordable for our
people. We need a safety net for those with the greatest needs. I
believe in community health centers, places where the poor and the
indigent can get health care. In a new term, we'll make sure every
poor county in America has a community health center. We'll do more to
make sure poor children are fully subscribed in our programs for
low-income families. We'll do more to make sure health care is
affordable. Listen, most of the uninsured are employees of small
businesses. Small businesses are having trouble affording health
care. To help workers get the health care they need, we should allow
small businesses to join together so they can buy insurance at the same
discount that big businesses get to do. (Applause.)
We will expand health savings accounts so workers and small
businesses are able to pay lower premiums and people can save,
tax-free, in an account they call their own. To make sure health care
is available and affordable, we will do something about the junk
lawsuits that are running up the cost of health care and running good
docs out of practice. (Applause.) By forcing doctors to practice
defensive medicine, medical lawsuits cost the government about $28
billion a year.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: When we say "cost the government," that means
they're costing you, the taxpayer.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: These lawsuits drive up insurance premiums, which
drive good doctors out of practice. I've met OB/GYNs that are say, I
can't practice -- I can't practice medicine anymore. I met the
patients of OB/GYNs, anxious women who drive miles to meet a doc. The
system is not working. There's a big difference in this campaign. My
opponent has voted against medical liability reform. I am for medical
liability reform now, and I will work with Senator Mel Martinez to get
it done. (Applause.)
My opponent has a health care proposal of his own, a plan for
bigger and more intrusive government.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Now, the other day in the debate he said, when it
comes to his health care plan -- and I quote -- "The government has
nothing to do with it." I could barely contain myself. (Applause.)
The facts are that eight out of 10 people who get health care under
Senator Kerry's plan would be placed on a government program.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He said the plan would help small businesses. Yet
a small business group studied the plan and concluded it was an
overpriced albatross that would saddle small businesses with 225 new
mandates. I want to help small businesses. I don't want to saddle
them with government mandates. (Applause.)
Listen, the choice is clear when it comes to health care. My
opponent wants to move in the direction of government-run health care.
I believe the health decisions ought to be made by patients and
doctors, not by officials in Washington, D.C. (Applause.) He can run,
but he cannot hide. (Applause.)
I've set out policies that move America toward an optimistic
vision. I believe our country can, and must, become an ownership
society. There's an old saying, no one ever washes a rental car. You
see, when you own something you care about it. When you own something
you have a vital stake in the future of our country. That's why we're
encouraging entrepreneurship. Every time a small business is started,
someone is achieving the American Dream. (Applause.)
We're encouraging health savings accounts so people have the
security of managing and owning their own health care account. We will
continue to encourage home ownership. I love the idea that more and
more Americans from all walks of life are opening up the door where
they live and saying, welcome to my home, welcome to my piece of
property. (Applause.)
In a new term, we'll take the next, great step to build an
ownership society by strengthening Social Security. In the 2000
campaign, you might remember the ads that were saying, if George W.
gets in, the seniors will not get their checks. The seniors got their
checks. (Applause.) And our seniors will continue to get their
checks. (Applause.) Baby boomers are in pretty good shape when it
comes to Social Security. We're okay. But we need to worry about our
children and our grandchildren. (Applause.) People are understandably
worried about whether Social Security will be around when our children
and grandchildren need it. We must think differently. To strengthen
Social Security, we must allow younger workers to save some of their
payroll taxes in a personal savings account, a personal savings account
they call their own. (Applause.)
I believe it is the President's problem to solve problems -- the
President's job to solve problems, not to pass them on to future
generations. (Applause.) My opponent has a different point of view.
He wants to maintain the status quo when it comes to Social Security.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He's against the reforms we're talking about when
it comes to Social Security, and he's against just about every other
reform that gives more authority and control to the individual. On
issue after issue, from Medicare without choices to schools with less
accountability to higher taxes, he takes the side of more government
control. There's a label for that, there's a word for that. It's
called liberalism. That's what it's called. He doesn't like that
label. He dismisses it as just a word. He must have seen it
differently when he told a newspaper, I am a liberal and proud of it.
See, he's the kind of -- got a voting record that makes Ted Kennedy
look like the senior -- the conservative senator from Massachusetts.
(Applause.) He can run, but he cannot hide. (Applause.)
I have a different record and a different philosophy. I do not
believe in big government and I do not believe that government should
be indifferent. (Applause.) I'm a compassionate conservative.
(Applause.) I believe in policies that empower people to improve their
lives, not try to run their lives. I believe we ought to help men and
women find the skills and tools necessary to prosper in a time of
change. So we're helping all Americans to have a future of dignity and
independence, and that is how I will continue to lead our country for
four more years. (Applause.)
In a time 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 institutions that give our lives
direction and purpose -- our families, our schools, our religious
congregations. (Applause.) We stand for a culture of life in which
every person matters and every being counts. (Applause.) We stand for
marriage and family, which are the foundations of our society.
(Applause.) We stand for the appointment of federal judges who know the
difference between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of
the law. (Applause.)
My opponent's words on these issues are a little muddy, but his
record is plenty clear. He says he supports the institution of
marriage, but voted against the Defense of Marriage Act.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He voted against the ban on the brutal practice of
partial birth abortion.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He described the Reagan years as a time of moral
darkness.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: There is a mainstream in American politics, and my
opponent sits on the far left bank. (Applause.) He can run, but he
cannot hide. (Applause.)
This election will also determine how America responds to the
continuing threat of terrorism. The most solemn duty of the American
President is to protect the American people. (Applause.) If America
shows uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift
toward tragedy. This will not happen on my watch. (Applause.)
Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we 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 reforming and
strengthening our intelligence capabilities. We're transforming our
military. I repeat, the all-volunteer army will remain an
all-volunteer army. (Applause.) We are staying on the offensive. We
will strike the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here
at home. (Applause.) We will spread freedom and liberty and we will
prevail. (Applause.)
Our strategy is succeeding. Think about the world as it was some
three-and-a-half 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 pursuing
nuclear weapons; Iraq was a dangerous place and a gathering threat; and
al Qaeda was largely unchallenged as it planned attacks.
Because we acted, because the United States of America led,
Afghanistan is a free nation and an ally in the war against terror.
(Applause.) Pakistan is capturing terrorist leaders; Saudi Arabia is
making raids and arrests; Libya is dismantling its weapons programs.
(Applause.) The army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom; and more
than three-quarters of al Qaeda's team members and associates have been
brought to justice. (Applause.)
We are standing with the peoples of a free Afghanistan and Iraq.
(Applause.) It's amazing to say the words "free Afghanistan" and a
"free Iraq." I want you to remind your children and grandchildren what
has taken place in Afghanistan in the three-and-a-half short years. It
wasn't all that long ago that young girls couldn't go to school in
Afghanistan, or their mothers were taken into the public square and
whipped because they wouldn't toe the line of the ideologues of hate.
And yet, because we acted in our self-interest, because we acted to
secure our country, the people of Afghanistan are liberated, and by the
millions, showed up to vote in a presidential election. (Applause.)
The first voter in the presidential election in Afghanistan was a
19-year-old woman. (Applause.)
Freedom is on the march. Freedom is taking hold in a part of the
world that no one ever dreamed would be free, and that makes America
more secure. There will be elections in Iraq this January. Think how
far that country has come from the days of torture chambers and mass
graves and the brutal dictates of a brutal tyrant. You see, it's
important that we continue to spread freedom, because free societies
will help us keep the peace. Free societies will no longer feed
resentments and breed violence for export. Free governments in the
Middle East will fight the terrorists, instead of harboring them, and
that will help us keep the peace and make America more secure.
(Applause.)
And so our mission -- our mission is clear: We will help these
countries train armies and police, so the people of Afghanistan and
Iraq can do the hard work of defending their freedom. (Applause.) We
will help them get on the path to stability and democracy as quickly as
possible, and then our troops will come home with the honor they have
earned. (Applause.)
We have a great United States military. (Applause.) It is great
because of the dedication and the character of those who wear the
uniform. (Applause.) I want to thank the veterans who are here today
for having set such a great example to those who wear the uniform.
(Applause.) I want to thank the military families who are here today
for their sacrifices. (Applause.) You can be certain of this: Your
loved ones are answering one of the great calls of American history.
They're defending our country against ruthless enemies. They're
spreading freedom and hope. They are winning the war on terror.
(Applause.)
And our nation is keeping our commitments to those who serve and to
their families. We have increased basic pay in the military by 21
percent since I've been the Commander-in-Chief. (Applause.) We've
increased health benefits and federal support for schools on bases
across the country. We've reduced out-of- pocket expense for off-base
housing to zero for our military families. (Applause.) We are
supporting our Guard and our Reserve troops and families. We're
spending $14 billion for construction and maintenance on Guard and
Reserve facilities. We're extending military health benefits to those
in the Guard and Reserves. We will increase monthly education benefits
for those in the Guard and Reserves. (Applause.)
Our single, most important responsibility is to make sure our
military families are well-treated and our military has all the tools
necessary to do their missions. (Applause.) And that's why -- that's
why in September of 2003, I went to the United States Congress and
asked for $87 billion of supplemental funding to support our troops in
harm's way. (Applause.) This was -- this was essential funding. Most
members of the United States Congress understood how important the
funding was. As a matter of fact, only 12 members of the United States
Senate voted against the funding for our troops.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Two of whom are my opponent and his running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: When you're out rounding up the vote, remind people
of this startling statistic: Only four members of the Senate -- four
out of 100 -- voted to authorize the use of force, and then voted
against providing funding for our troops.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And two of those four were my opponent and his
running mate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: You might remember my opponents famous quote. When
they asked him about his vote he said, "I actually did vote for the $87
billion, right before I voted against it."
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He's given a lot of explanations for that vote
since. One of the most interesting ones of all, he said, well, the
whole thing was a complicated matter. There's nothing complicated
about supporting our troops in harm's way. (Applause.)
Last Sunday was the one-year anniversary of Senator Kerry's vote
against funding for our troops. My opponents many and conflicting
positions on this issue are a case study into why his contradictions
call into question his credibility and ability to lead our nation.
In September, 2003, as the $87 billion funding package was being
debated, Senator Kerry said this on national TV: "It would be
irresponsible to abandon our troops by voting against it." That is,
against the $87 billion. And then, of course, just one month later, he
did exactly the opposite. You know, it's important for our fellow
citizens to wonder what changed his mind in one short month. Well, his
opponent in the Democrat primary, Howard Dean, was gaining ground as an
anti-war candidate, just about the time he changed his mind. See,
apparently, my opponent decided supporting the troops, even while in
harm's way, was not as important as shoring up his political position.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: At a time of great threat to our country, at a time
of great challenge in the world, the Commander-in-Chief must stand on
principle, not on the shifting sands of political convenience.
(Applause.)
Senator Kerry's vote against supporting our troops in combat is
part of a pattern. He has consistently opposed the weapons our troops
are using to win the war on terror. He opposed the B-1 bomber. He
opposed the B-2 stealth bomber. He opposed the modernized F-14D. He
opposed the Apache helicopter. He opposed the anti-missile launchers
that we've been using, the Patriot missile system. He has a 20-year
history of weakness. He can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
(Applause.)
Let me just give you one more piece of evidence about why my
opponent is not prepared and equipped to be the Commander-in-Chief. He
believes that America should pass a global test before we defend
ourselves.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: That's what he said. See, the problem with a
global test is the Senator can never pass it. In 1990, the United
Nations Security Council passed a resolution supporting action to
remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. The international community was
united. Countries throughout the world joined our coalition. Yet,
even after United Nations' approval, Senator Kerry voted against the
authorization for the use of force.
AUDIENCE: Booo! (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: You might remember during the debates in the
campaign he said it was a mistake to remove Saddam Hussein. He would
have done it differently. He would have passed another United Nations
Security Council resolution.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: As if the first 16 or 17, you know, had an effect.
(Laughter.) See, we'll continue to build strong alliances. We'll work
with friends. But I will never turn over America's national security
decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: In this time of uncertainty and challenge, the
Commander-in-Chief must be steadied and principled and must use every
asset at our disposal to protect the American people. (Applause.)
I believe in the transformational power of liberty. I'll tell you
what I mean by that. One of our friends, Laura and my friends in the
international community is Prime Minister Koizumi of Japan. That
probably doesn't seem like much of a big deal to you, except for the
fact that 60 years ago, Japan was a sworn enemy of the United States of
America. We were at war with the Japanese. My dad, our dad, fought
against the Japanese. Your dads and granddads did, as well. It was a
brutal war. And after the war was over, Harry S. Truman, President of
the United States, believed that liberty could transform an enemy into
an ally.
There were a lot of skeptics during that time, and you can imagine
why. Japan was the enemy. Many families had been turned upside down
because of death in World War II. But there was this belief in the
country that if we helped Japan become a democracy, the world would be
better off for it. Today, because people held that belief, I sit at
the table with the Prime Minister of a former enemy, talking about how
to keep the peace we all want. (Applause.) Some day, some day an
American President will be sitting down with the duly-elected from
Iraq, talking about the peace, and our children and our grandchildren
will be better of for it. (Applause.)
I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for
their freedom. I believe women in the Middle East want to live in a
free society. I believe mothers and dads want to raise their children
in a free
world. I believe all 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.)
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 makes us a great nation. (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 remember the fellow who grabbed me by the arm, he looked me
straight in the eye and he said, "Do not let me down." (Applause.)
Ever since that day, I wake up every morning thinking about how to
better protect America. I will never relent in defending our country,
whatever it takes. (Applause.)
Four years ago when I traveled your great state I made a pledge
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,
I will do so for four more years. Thanks for coming. (Applause.)
God bless. (Applause.) Thank you all. (Applause.)
END 10:00 A.M. EDT
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